A Different View
by mz kane and ak waters
Summary: "Why do you even care about me...?" Hermione asked agrily. An internal battle waged in Draco's mind, before saying, "Because you're someone worth fighting for."
1. And then It Happened

Disclaimer: We don't own them, JK Rowling does! Anything or any other characters that you don't recognize are ours. Thanks!  
  
Authors' Note: This is a joint story between MZ Kane and AK Waters. We'll accept any suggestions to make this story better. Please read and review! On a further note, we are so sorry to make Ron like this. Please don't flame us, this was simply an idea that sprung up into our heads. Don't worry, in the end, everything will work out fine! Sorry again that this first two chapters deal with rape. Thanks!  
  
A Different View  
  
Chapter 1: And Then It Happened...  
  
Hermione went slamming into the bookcase by someone obviously taller and stronger than her. He pinned her to the bookcase with undeniable strength, Hermione immediately felt her chest constrict and her heart pound.  
  
She closed her eyes in pain and fear.  
  
Oh no, not again! She thought as her mind went back to a few weeks before...  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione Granger was in her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a bright young girl who always made it a priority to study. Having been named a school prefect this year, she wanted to excel in her studies. All this studying made it particularly hard for her to do much socializing. Not that she had any friends, oh no. She had two friends who were dear to her.  
  
One was the famous Harry Potter. He was now quite tall and had filled up over the summer. His green eyes were still behind glasses and his dark hair was still all over the place. Hermione always reminded him, although sometimes he failed to heed her, to fix up his clothes which were always getting disheveled for some reason or another. Harry was also the Captain and Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Anyhow, she loved him like a brother, especially after what they had been through together over the years.  
  
But Hermione also had another friend. One by the name of Ronald Weasley. He was a tall and lanky character with flaming red hair, passed down the Weasley clan. He was short-tempered, to say the least. He was very overprotective of her during their lower years. Many people suspected that domineering attitude was the result of Ron's secret crush on her; news which fell deaf on Hermione's ears. She simply refused to believe that one of her best friends had something other than friendship to offer her.  
  
Until Ron himself proved her wrong...  
  
A few days after school started, Hermione was on her way to the library. It was after classes and she had little to an hour to do some research on a charm they had to learn in the class for the next week. Now, Hermione being Hermione, she wanted to get a full background on the charm before having the official lesson in Charms. Hence, the need go and visit the library.  
  
Hermione loved the library. She found comfort and solace in the numerous books that filled the shelves and the quiet of the room. She always went there to study, read or just relax. Hermione smiled in anticipation as she rounded a corner and accidentally collided with a tall person, sending her to almost fall backwards from sheer impact and causing her to drop her books.  
  
"Oh...!" She said as she groped for something to stop her from falling. The person reflexively caught her and righted her. Hermione's eyes were only level to the person's hard chest. She slowly let her eyes travel upwards to see the person's face. Once she looked up, her eyes immediately saw the piercing blue eyes of no other than Draco Malfoy.  
  
Draco Malfoy was, in a word, an enemy. He was a tall boy with blonde hair which was always slicked back. He was a Slytherin, the archrival of her own house, Gryffindor. He was the cause of her and her friends' many problems. He was the one who had called her 'Mudblood', a name which implied to her parents' being muggle-born.  
  
"Thank you." She said curtly, much to the dislike of Draco. He regarded her with a look that insinuated that he was not pleased that she chose this time to bump into him.  
  
"For what?" He asked with a look of superiority. His voice was low but laced with disdain.  
  
"For catching me."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "And now, you're thanking me... where's the hate and provocation, Granger?"  
  
"They seem to be missing right now, but if you insult me further, they might be coming back in full force." She retorted, her brown eyes flashing.  
  
It was then that they both realized that he was still holding both of her arms and her hands were splayed on his chest from the incident that happened earlier. They were standing very close and their position, should it be viewed by some unsuspecting bystander, would probably mean that they were close to kissing. Draco took the initiative and pushed her away from him. When he did, Hermione noted that he didn't push her harshly, the way she thought him to do so. Feeling flustered that she would think that he was softening to her; she busied herself by picking up her books, expecting him to just stand there and watch her. But he didn't. Instead, he helped her pick up her books. When they both stood, he gave her the books with a look of nonchalance, as if it was not wrong (by his standards, of course) to help a girl pick up her books that had fallen.  
  
"Have a pleasant afternoon at the library, Granger." Draco said as he handed her books. Hermione took it and without another word, he started walking towards the direction which she came from.  
  
She looked at his retreating back and wondered where all the civility came from. Then she came to herself and remembered that she should be at the library. Squaring her shoulders, she walked the rest of the way to the library.  
  
The library was deserted, as expected by Hermione. Smiling at the empty room, she quickly went to the far end of the library and set her books down on a desk which was facing the window. She loved working there since it was secluded and the other students rarely went to 'her desk'. Walking over to the Charms' section, she looked up and scanned the titles of the books, looking for one that would help her. All of a sudden, an arm came around her waist and lifted her a good six inches of the floor. Hermione almost let out a scream, if it weren't for a hand that went to her mouth.  
  
"If it isn't Hermione... always at the library, eh?" The person said into her ear. The voice was familiar and it took Hermione all but a few seconds to realize that it was Ron.  
  
She squirmed in his arms playfully until he had no choice but to set her down.  
  
"Ron!" She hissed, smacking him on the arm. He grinned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't ever scare me like that!" She said, catching her breath.  
  
Ron simply shook his head and winked at her, causing Hermione to laugh. After a few moments, Ron spoke up. "Why are you still here?"  
  
"Huh?" Hermione replied, perplexed. Then remembered. "I just got here..."  
  
"But you were gone for half an hour... where did you go?"  
  
"I..." Hermione started, wondering if she should relay her encounter with Malfoy a few minutes ago. "I had to go back to my room, forgot my um. quill and parchment."  
  
"Oh." Ron said, idly running his fingers on the books lined up on the shelves. Hermione looked at him and subconsciously compared him to Malfoy. From her experience earlier, Malfoy was taller by a good two inches and he had broader shoulders and more defined chest. And he-  
  
Stop it! Hermione chided herself, turning her attention back to Ron. "Why are you here?"  
  
"I wanted to come and fetch you. Dinner is in an hour."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. It was normal for Ron to just come to her and say that it was time for dinner. "I can't. I have to study."  
  
"Aw, Hermione." Ron subtly whined. Hermione smiled in spite of herself.  
  
"I'm sorry, I really have to study."  
  
"But, tomorrow's the weekend. You can do your studying then." Ron reasoned.  
  
"No. I want to do it now."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts, now if you don't want to stay with me, then you better go."  
  
Ron looked at her. She was looking at him through those big brown eyes and her cheeks were tinged with pink. Ron's breath caught. It was in this moment that all he wanted to do was sweep Hermione off her feet and kiss her.  
  
And so he did just that.  
  
Bending down and holding her neck with one hand, he kissed her fully on the lips. His kiss was inexperienced, even she could tell that. Hermione simply stood, shocked and confused. Then, she put her hands on his chest and pushed him off her. She the put in a good twelve inches of space in between them and looked at him in disbelief and a hint of disappointment. He looked at her, breathing heavily.  
  
They stayed that way for a few minutes, until Ron suddenly grabbed her to him and trapped her lips once again. This time, Hermione squirmed against him, trying to break free. When she did, she did the only thing she could do and gave him a hard slap.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" She demanded as she moved away from him once again.  
  
Ron didn't say anything, but his temper was rising, Hermione was sure of that. He looked at her differently, as if she had done something wrong and it was not the other way around.  
  
"Ron! What's up with you?" Hermione tried once again.  
  
"Nothing, it's what's wrong with you."  
  
"What? I don't understand what you're saying."  
  
"I'm in love with you, Hermione." He said simply.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm in love with you. I always have been."  
  
"Ron... I..." Hermione was at a loss for words. "I only consider you as my friend, nothing more-"  
  
But her words were cut off as Ron once again reached out and grabbed her to him. Hermione was startled by his sudden action that she did not know how to react and respond. And so Ron took advantage and kissed her forcefully on the lips. No matter how hard Hermione tried to get away from him, her efforts were futile. He was bigger and stronger than her.  
  
Hermione blinked back the tears as Ron pressed her into him. Her hands were at his chest, trying desperately to push him away. He had lifted her up by a few inches, still kissing her and forcing her to comply. She simply wouldn't. When his tongue snaked its way in her mouth she tried hard not to gag.  
  
Ron then picked her up and walked over to the far corner of the library. When Hermione realized where all of this was leading, she did one final attempt to get away from him. She bit hard into his lip, causing him to release his hold on her. Hermione took the chance and broke free running away from him. Her vision was blurry with tears and she could hear him grunt and swear a few feet behind her.  
  
Too close... she thought. 


	2. Broken

Authors' Note: Wow! Thank you for all of your reviews! It was really fun reading them! Thank you! Please read and review! We're sorry that we had to make Ron like this... Thanks again for all of your reviews!  
  
Chapter 2: Broken  
  
Hermione thought she'd succeeded in getting away from him, but as all things go in life, fate had to deal her misery instead of happiness, because Ron caught up to her.  
  
Her feeble attempt only made him desire her more. Within a few feet, he had her in his arms, ignoring her tries to get away from him. She was his... nothing would ever stop that, not even her own will. His mind was racing... from the thought of him finally tasting her, finally breaking her... he smiled wickedly as he carried her to the farthest corner of the library.  
  
She squirmed in his arms, pounding on his chest with her fists, but he paid them no mind. He seemed to have forgotten that she was his friend, that she was pure and innocent as she could ever be. All he knew was that he wanted nothing more than to possess her the only way he knew how.  
  
With just a few more steps, they were in the darkest and farthest corner of the library. The smell was musty and it made Hermione wheeze and have difficulty breathing. The light was dim.  
  
All the better... Ron thought as he looked for a place in which to take her.  
  
"Ron..." She said desperately, tears threatening to flow. "Please..."  
  
But he smiled. Not his usual warm and sunny smile. This smile, Hermione realized in despair, was of evil intent. All hopes sank.  
  
"Ron..." She pleaded again. But he simply went over to the opposite wall and pinned her into it. Hermione let out a yelp as her back slammed against the hard stone wall. She tried of something to get herself out of the situation. And then it hit her: her wand!  
  
But oh, as all brilliant ideas were sometimes, they quickly gave way to despair and frustration. She had left her wand with her other things when she tried to get away from him.  
  
She was trapped. With no means of escape and no means of any help.  
  
Ron was using his body to keep her in place and snared her fists with one hand and placed them above her head. Her legs were clamped shut, but he saw to that. He used his knee to force them apart and placed himself in between them.  
  
Hermione felt the tears flow as she felt his arousal pressing into her middle. But Ron paid her tears no heed. He was now licking and sucking on her neck and chest. With his free hand, he grabbed the front of her blouse and with one sharp tug, he ripped it off her body. Then, his eyes feasted on her exposed flesh. Her breasts were only covered by her white bra.  
  
Hermione tried to cover up her upper body, but he was far too strong when he placed her hands above her head. She resisted and tried to wrench free as he started to kiss and lick and suck on her chest and on her breast. His other hand had undone the clasp of her bra and she was half- naked.  
  
She cried louder, hoping that someone would hear her. What she didn't know was that Ron had placed a silencing charm on this part of the library, never minding the rule that no magic was to be used out of the classroom. He continued to kiss and bite on her upper body.  
  
Hermione screamed, only to be met with Ron's evil laughter.  
  
"I placed a silencing charm, Hermione. Your screams are worthless." He said, never looking up from her exposed body.  
  
She wanted to die. She wanted to die right then and there. Ron, her best friend, was going to rape her. He was going to rob her of every decent shred of dignity she held in herself and he would have no remorse.  
  
The sound of a zipper being pulled down caused another round of tears. But what could she do? Her arms were tired and numb from the exertion of trying to break free. Her legs were being pushed further apart. And she could no longer feel the fabric of Ron's pants... only flesh.  
  
Ron pulled down her panties and ripped it off her. Hermione cried still, but silently now. She'd lost hope. He guided himself to her and with one forceful thrust, he broke her barrier and she screamed in pain and agony. The pain was unbearable, and he was pumping in and out of her, making her bleed and scream with every thrust he did.  
  
He was certainly enjoying this. Hermione could only bear the humiliation of being used like a damn whore... He was gasping and thrusting harder into her. She was whimpering, her tears still streaming down her face.  
  
It went on and on. Until he saw release. He screamed when it happened, exhausted and relieved of his work. Hermione had her eyes closed, too tired to do anything but sleep and hope that it was a bad dream.  
  
But it wasn't.  
  
Hermione felt him pull away and let go of her. She fell down to the hard concrete ground, tired and weak. She curled up covering her half-naked body with her arms as best she could. Her back was sore from repeated hits against the stone wall. Her arms were numb. And the core of her body felt like it had been beaten and taken away from her. She felt blood trickling down her thighs and legs.  
  
Ron was busy cleaning up after himself. He used magic to fix all of her clothes and used his robe to cover her form. The clothes he had laid in front of her. Then, he got a vial out of his robes and made her drink the liquid it contained. The liquid tasted bitter.  
  
"That's a good girl, Hermione." Ron was saying, stroking her hair. She could do nothing except allow him to do so. "That's so that there would be no evidence of anything that happened here."  
  
No evidence? Hermione thought incredulous even though her mind was aching. What about me, you asshole?! But she kept her mouth shut.  
  
"You can't stay here all night, Hermione." Ron was saying. "You'd better get back to the prefect's room in an hour or so."  
  
With that, he stood up and began to walk towards the doors of the library after removing the silencing charm on the room. But before stepping out, he turned to her again. "Oh and Hermione? Don't tell anyone about this little encounter, if you do... I'll do something worse than that."  
  
He left.  
  
And Hermione sobbed again.  
  
After an hour or so, she forced herself to get up and put on all her clothes, intending to burn them once she got the chance. Then she slowly left the library, intending never to come back there alone again.  
  
* * * 


	3. What a Mistake Can Lead to

Authors' Note: Thank you for all of your reviews! This chapter is the continuation of the first part of the first chapter, where Hermione slams into a bookcase. The other characters in this chapter belong to us, we were getting tired of seeing Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff and Terry Boot of Ravenclaw in almost every fan fiction with prefects. And so, we decided to put in our own characters, if no one minds. Thanks again!  
  
Chapter 3: What a Mistake Can Lead to  
  
Someone was still pinning her against the bookcase. He was tall and heavy. And he might want to violate her again.  
  
Willing her body to move, she thrashed against the person holding her. She kicked at him and pounded her fists on his chest, not wanting the same thing to happen to her again. He was going to rape her... And she would not allow that ever to happen. Not in a million years.  
  
"Get off me!" Hermione exclaimed, trying to push him away. He held both her wrists in one hand but still she struggled. Tears were leaking out of her eyes and she desperately wanted to get away. "I won't let you do it again! I won't..." She screamed, opening her eyes as she tried to look at Ron.  
  
But Ron didn't have blonde hair, did he?  
  
Her breath caught. This wasn't Ron... Ron didn't have blue eyes or pale skin. No, this wasn't Ron at all. It was Draco Malfoy. And he was looking at her strangely. Once Hermione realized that he was dangerously close to her and was still holding her wrists in one hand, the defiance blazed in her eyes as she wrenched her wrists from his grip... She pushed him off her and wiped the tears from her face.  
  
"Malfoy! What are you doing?" She demanded. He looked at her with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Me? What's up with you, Granger?"  
  
"What do you mean? You were attacking me!"  
  
"Attacking you?" Draco repeated, still looking at her in confusion. "It was more of you attacking me."  
  
"What? I wasn't attacking you, you pinned me to the bookcase and grabbed my wrists!" Hermione countered defensively.  
  
"I slammed into you because I was running and I didn't see you." Draco explained. "Nothing more than an accident. I was about to get off you when you started thrashing around and started kicking and hitting me. That's why I had to grab your hands."  
  
Hermione just stared. At first she didn't believe him... but then when she looked at him in the eye, she knew that he was telling the truth.  
  
Oh my God... Hermione thought, tearing her eyes away from him and looking down. She gently massaged her temples, trying to think about what had happened. I can't believe I accused him of attacking me! She thought. I thought... I thought that he was Ron...  
  
Draco was looking at her, wondering what she had going on in her head. He didn't mean to slam into her; he just didn't see her standing near the bookcase. But why did she act like she was being attacked? Why did she kick and hit and squirm? Why did she cry? And what were the words that she said... 'I won't let you do it again'.  
  
"Look Granger, I..." Draco paused. He never apologized to anyone before. But when he saw her looking so distraught, it was the only thing he could think about right now. "I'm sorry if I slammed into you..."  
  
"No." Hermione interrupted, feeling totally ashamed of herself and the way she reacted to his harmless move. "I should be the one apologizing... I didn't know it was you."  
  
"What if it weren't me?" Draco asked. He winced at the look that she gave him after he said those words. They'd just slipped out.  
  
"I..." Hermione started, looking at him helplessly.  
  
"Don't answer that..." Draco interrupted, shaking his head. "That was rude of me."  
  
Hermione looked away and around the prefect's common room. The fire was lit, but they were the only ones around. She recalled that she had just finished her assignments and had just placed the book back in the shelf when she heard running. When she turned, he slammed into her.  
  
It was nothing more than an accident. Hermione realized and berated herself for being so paranoid and delusional. Damn. She'd almost said Ron's name in the process... in front of Malfoy.  
  
"I'm sorry." Hermione said, lifting her back off the bookcase and walking towards her bag and book which were spread out on the table the four prefects had designated as a study desk. She manically placed all her books in her book bag, locked the clasp and swung the strap over her shoulder. She looked at Draco once more and gave him a weak smile. "I'm sorry for hitting you... Good night."  
  
And she was walking briskly towards her room which was located on the left side, before Draco could even get a word out.  
  
Now what in the hell was that? Draco asked himself. He couldn't understand her tonight. Usually she would be so level-headed and she never jumped to conclusions. But now, she was doing the exact opposite of what he thought of her, what he knew about her.  
  
Shaking his head, he went over to his room, which was on the opposite side of the direction Hermione went. Once he entered, he made sure that he would get to the bottom of this whole thing. Despite their differences, he would do whatever it took to know what made Hermione act like that tonight.  
  
Over the next week, Draco was still thinking about that incident with Hermione. Although, sometimes he would get a hold of himself and remind himself that she was none of his business. And besides, she was a Gryffindor, he was a Slytherin. Why meddle with the affairs of the enemy?  
  
Because something happened to her and you want to know what! His subconscious constantly defended during those times. Because you want to know why she acted like that!  
  
Draco swore under his breath and looked around if anyone was around. He was in an empty classroom, waiting for the other prefects to arrive. Professor McGonagall had called a meeting for the prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl at around 3 o'clock that Saturday. And so far, it was five to.  
  
He slumped back in his chair and propped his feet on the empty chair in front of him. He continued to replay the incident over and over in his mind, looking for some signs that would tell him more than what was on the surface. He thought about the anger, the helplessness and the pleading on Hermione's face when she started kicking and screaming at him to get off her.  
  
But why...?  
  
It was at that time that Draco was snapped back to the present. He heard light footfalls nearing his way. Turning his head to the side, he saw a spaced-out Hermione Granger entering the room. When she realized that someone was inside, she focused her attention on him. Their eyes locked for a brief second before Hermione looked away, a faint blush on her cheeks.  
  
It was possible that she was thinking about the incident as well... or something deeper.  
  
She turned to an empty chair, a few feet from where Draco was sitting and sat down. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked straight ahead, refusing to meet his gaze and almost refusing to acknowledge his presence.  
  
They sat that way, simply wallowing in their own world. To some other person, that would seem normal, as they had been enemies for some time. But if one looked closely and observed them, one would notice how Draco would often steal glances at Hermione. And if one happened to catch the expression in his eyes when he glanced at her, one would see traces of worry and concern masked with boredom and nonchalance.  
  
Fortunately, the silence was cut as the two other prefects came in. Joanna Davidson was a willowy sixth year from Ravenclaw who had short black hair and gray eyes. She was outgoing and friendly... to anybody. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw - she considered them all as friends, which probably was a reason for her being a prefect this year. Shawn Jones was the sixth year Hufflepuff prefect. He was tall and beefy, therefore earning him a spot on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as a beater. But he was also quiet and very studious.  
  
When they came in, they both looked at the other two prefects and looked warily at each other. Joanna attempted to break the silence.  
  
"Hey, I think it's the first time that we didn't come in with you two at each other's throats." Joanna said cheerfully, plopping down on a chair as well and crossing one leg over the other. Shawn then sat down as well.  
  
Hermione turned to Joanna and stuck her tongue out at the girl. "Maybe Malfoy grew tired of churning out insults." She said, smiling.  
  
Draco turned at the mention of his name. He caught Hermione's eye and she looked at him with indifference. He turned to Joanna and raised an eyebrow. "I never grew tired of insults... Granger was simply too slow in making her comebacks." He retorted.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes at him.  
  
"Hell yeah." Was Draco's drawling reply.  
  
"Guys... okay, okay... so having a meeting without the two of you fighting is virtually impossible." Joanna interrupted, fearing a verbal battle between the two that might escalate to a physical one if she didn't stop it right now. "Drop it and let's move on."  
  
And the two went back to their own world, ignoring the other two. Shrugging, Joanna turned to Shawn and started a conversation with him.  
  
A minute later, Professor McGonagall along with the Head Boy, Joshua Farris, and the Head Girl, Elizabeth Haden, came inside the room. All stood up to greet the Deputy Headmistress and the two Heads except for Draco who simply looked on in boredom. Josh grinned at Draco, knowing all too well his friend's arrogance and self-superiority over others. Draco smirked as Elizabeth looked in horror.  
  
"Please sit down, all of you." Professor McGonagall said as the students all took their seats. She looked pointedly at Draco. "Mister Malfoy, I would request you to please remove your feet from that chair." And Draco removed his feet, but his slumped position did not change. Sighing, the professor continued. "I called this meeting because we would need to discuss the plans for this school year. I think Elizabeth has prepared the agenda... Elizabeth?"  
  
And as Elizabeth's crisp voice read over her prepared agenda, Draco's mind drifted off to other things. He didn't care about listening to whatever the Head Girl was saying. After all, he'd decided that he would be caught doing nothing because all-around Granger would be doing the things assigned, even if they weren't assigned to her.  
  
The thought of Hermione made him shift his gaze towards her. She was sitting across him in the little circle they'd arranged the chairs into. She was still listening attentively, offering a few comments every now and then and writing in her parchment. But something made him look at her more closely...  
  
When her sleeve lowered down her arm, he caught a glimpse of a bruise that formed around her wrist. Now why would she have that? He looked up into her face and caught her eye. Catching her attention, he pointed to his own wrist and raised his eyebrow. She looked terrified and brought the sleeve back up to cover it. They did not make eye contact for the rest of the meeting, but now her movements were jerky and she was becoming restless.  
  
Soon, the meeting ended. The minute it did, Hermione quickly got off her seat, walked towards the door and got out. Draco's eyes followed after her, wondering why she was so eager to get away. Even Joanna was looking confused. Draco shrugged and went out the room, fully intending, for the second time in his life, to get to the bottom of what was bothering Hermione Granger. 


	4. Glimpses

Authors' Note: Thank you for all of your reviews! It's really fun reading them! We're getting pretty busy with our conversations about the development of the story, so we hope you'll like what we've come up with. We're sorry that some of the Latin terms (i.e. curses) are just the Latin translations of the word/s. We do not have any Latin class, therefore we are absolutely in the dark with the curses and stuff. If you know any other Latin terms or if you are fluent in Latin, please help us! Thank you! Meanwhile, on with the story!  
  
Chapter 4: Glimpses  
  
Hermione walked alone. For the first time in ages, she was walking alone towards the Great Hall for breakfast Monday morning. She usually got up first before any of the other prefects did but before the incident, Harry and Ron used to come and pick her up and they would walk together.  
  
But now, she was avoiding them like the plague. Harry didn't know a thing that was for sure. And he was probably wondering why the last few weeks were spent with Hermione going with Lavender and Parvati. Hermione was even avoiding Ginny as well. After all, Ginny was Ron's sister.  
  
How she wished she could've used the time turner and make it all right again... but she couldn't. Using the time turner meant going to Dumbledore and asking for permission to use it... and she couldn't just blurt out the reason why she wanted to use the time turner in the first place, now could she? That would mean telling Dumbledore about her... assault. And she didn't want to do that.  
  
It was not that she was afraid of Ron and his threats... those were partly the reason for not telling anybody. She was afraid that people might look at her differently. If she did tell and it got around... then people might accuse her of deserving what happened to her. No one, not one single person in the world deserved what happened to her.  
  
Sighing, she entered the Great Hall. A few students were scattered here and there, talking and eating. To her surprise, Lavender and Parvati were already there. Smiling, she walked towards them and sat next to Parvati.  
  
"Hey Hermione!" Parvati greeted, giving her friend a quick hug. Hermione laughed at her friend's gesture. Lavender smiled at her as well.  
  
"Hey guys! What brings you two in here this early?" Hermione asked, getting a few slices of toast and some fruit preserves.  
  
"Oh nothing... we were getting tired of the Gryffindor room, especially with you not being there with us!" Lavender replied. Contrary to popular belief, they were pretty good friends during the last past years, even when Hermione was still with Harry and Ron.  
  
Hermione laughed, "Thanks..."  
  
"And besides... we get to see the cute quidditch guys coming from team practice." Parvati added. "Like the Slytherin team right there!" She said, pointing to the Slytherin table.  
  
Both Hermione and Lavender turned to look and saw the whole Slytherin team in their quidditch uniforms wolfing down their breakfast. Hermione chuckled.  
  
"You like anyone on the Slytherin team, Parvati?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we still had those house rivalries?"  
  
"Well, yes..." Parvati answered meekly.  
  
"Well, house rivalries or no, I still think that the Slytherin team is the best-looking team of all." Lavender whispered.  
  
"Lavender!" Hermione chided.  
  
"I said best-looking, not the best team..." Lavender defended, stifling a giggle. "I know how loyal you are to Harry and Ron."  
  
The mention of Ron's name brought chills down Hermione's spine. Muttering a soft "Yeah, I am..." she went back to her breakfast. Luckily, both Parvati and Lavender were now in a deep conversation about who was the cutest in the whole Slytherin quidditch team. Hermione chose to tune out their conversation.  
  
Just then Harry and Ron bounded towards the Gryffindor table. Whatever was left of Hermione's poise was shattered when the two sat down next to her. Ron put an arm around Hermione and smiled a sunny smile at her. Inside, Hermione was trembling and wishing that she were in another place... anywhere, even in the Slytherin table. Just as long as she was far away from Ron as possible.  
  
"Hey Hermione! How are you today?" Ron asked, ignoring her slight trembling and her frightened disposition. Harry smiled at her as well.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks for asking, Ron." She said in a small voice, looking down at her plate and shrugging off his violating arm around her. Slowly, so as not to alarm, she scooted nearer to Parvati and kept her head down.  
  
Ron's anger blazed inside of him. If anyone happened to notice her state when she was with him, they would ask questions... And so, keeping a cool front, he lent over to Hermione's side and whispered in her ear.  
  
"Don't you ever act like that in front of me..." He whispered in a malicious tone.  
  
"Act like what?" Hermione whispered back, her voice small and definitely frightened.  
  
"Like you're scared of me."  
  
But I am scared of you! Hermione wanted to scream out, but knew that she very well couldn't. Instead, she nodded her head and willed her nerves to relax. He was threatening her again, but she must not let it show that it really affected her. Taking a few deep breaths, she finally willed herself to look up. And she met the steely blue eyes of Draco Malfoy.  
  
She wanted to cry right then and there. She couldn't take it anymore. First there was Ron who was forcing her to be friendly to him as if nothing had happened when something bad did. Then there was Harry who refused to think that something had happened. And finally there was Malfoy who was close to knowing what he shouldn't know. Bringing her gaze back down, she ate the rest of her food in silence.  
  
Draco watched the whole exchange. He was watching her the second she stepped into the Great Hall. When she came in, she was relaxed and cheery, especially when she sat down next to her girl friends. She was smiling and she laughed as well. But when one of her friends said something, she immediately paled and closed up. When Weasley and Potter came in, it seemed that she broke... on the inside. Now, even from afar, he saw the trembling of her hands and the uptightness of her body.  
  
What the hell brought that on? Both Potter and Weasley acted the way they always did... but it was Hermione who was unnerved. When Draco thought about it, he almost never ran into the three of them together. During class, he would either have only Hermione as a classmate in one subject, and Potter and Weasley in another. There was only one subject that they all had together: Defense Against the Dark Arts.  
  
Draco stood up at once and walked briskly towards the entrance of the Great Hall. He only had half an hour to take a bath and change from his qudditch uniform to his school uniform. To his luck, Defense Against the Dark Arts was the first class today, meaning that he had a whole period to study Hermione Granger and what made her so... unlike her usual self. Something had happened... if he couldn't figure out what, he would have to ask her himself.  
  
While walking towards the prefects' quarters, he thought about why he was so interested in Hermione Granger's affairs. Before, he couldn't care less about what was going on with her and would've jumped in joy that she was now like this... but that was before. Something in her made him want to know everything about her. He couldn't understand what it was exactly. Whatever it was, he would have to deal with that later... knowing what was wrong with Hermione was the first on his list.  
  
* * *  
  
Whatever he saw during breakfast in the Great Hall that morning, he saw more of during class.  
  
Professor Lupin was reinstated to teach once again in Hogwarts since their fifth year, therefore dispelling the said curse about the Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was in better shape now and he was always kind and considerate, even towards the Slytherins.  
  
"Good morning class." Professor Lupin greeted warmly as he did every day for the past weeks that they have been going to school. Half of the class responded warmly as well; as for the other half, they merely nodded their heads.  
  
"I know that during the past year and for the past weeks as well, we have been going through the same routine in class." Professor Lupin continued. "Well now, I've devised a new way to get you students to cooperate and for me to teach better."  
  
Brows furrowed and people looked at each other in confusion and slightly with fear. No one had a single clue about what the professor was saying. Lupin smiled at them, noticing the looks he was being given, especially by Harry, Ron and Hermione.  
  
"I also know that Slytherin and Gryffindor haven't exactly been..." He trailed off, as if searching for the correct word. "Willing to forget their house differences." He finished with a smile.  
  
Eyes rolled and some snorted. Of course, Professor, where are you going with all of this? They wanted to ask but couldn't.  
  
"I do have a point, children." Professor Lupin assured, still smiling like mad. "And to prove my point, I have written down all the topics we will discuss up until the Christmas break. But, to make this two and a half months different, I will pair each and everyone with a member of the other house."  
  
Before the groans, protests and violent reactions could be made, Professor Lupin quickly followed up his statement. "Each pair will do a research on the topic I will give. This does not only give you students a chance to actually study and rely on yourselves to get a grade in this subject; this will also promote better relationships between houses." He looked around and saw the sour faces of his class. "Well, you can give me all those looks and I would not change a thing. I have asked Headmaster Dumbledore's permission on this and he has agreed that it is a wonderful idea: to get at least some of the students in both houses to cooperate and work with each other."  
  
Hermione's hand shot up in the air. Some people groaned and rolled their eyes at her eagerness, Draco included.  
  
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Professor Lupin asked.  
  
"What will we do with the research?" Hermione asked. "And how will we be graded?"  
  
Leave it to the Gryffindor know-it-all to ask about the research's actual usage and grade. Draco thought idly as he turned to the Professor. Draco was seated at the very back of the room. Despite his love for the subject, he refused to let his enthusiasm show. Only the professor knew of Draco's interest.  
  
"Ah, very good that you have brought up those particular points, Miss Granger." Professor Lupin answered. "The research will be passed to me and we will discuss every topic briefly in class. To promote more friendship and goodwill, all of you must discuss what you have gathered amongst yourselves during this period. You will be graded on how extensive and veritable your research is. And you will also be graded on how you participate in these discussions."  
  
After having said that, he turned to the other students. "Anymore questions?" He asked. When no one asked, he then turned to his desk and brought out a sheet of parchment from his drawer. The class definitely looked apprehensive as they waited for their name to be called.  
  
All the pairs have been called out and asked to sit beside each other when Professor looked up from his list to see if all had a partner. He frowned when he saw that Hermione and Draco both had no partners in sight.  
  
"Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy. Where are your respective partners?" He asked. The rest of the class to turned to the both of them. It was quite a sight, seeing as Hermione sat at the very front and Draco sat at the very back. Draco raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, as if he didn't need to answer the question.  
  
"Well sir, if I may speak on behalf of Mal-, I mean, of Draco..." Hermione started with some difficulty as she said Draco's name. She looked behind her and sure enough, Draco's indifference meant that he didn't give a damn if she explained why they both didn't have their partners; he didn't give a damn if she explained his existence on earth either. But that's beside the point.  
  
Hermione continued, facing the professor who looked at her expectantly. "Well, sir. Paul Addison was supposed to be my partner but as you may know, since he transferred from Durmstang, he has been busy all these weeks doing extra credit work to catch up with the rest of us. Parvati Patil was supposed to be Mal-, I mean, Draco's partner, but she had to be excused from class today, as she is in the infirmary due to her sister, Padma having an accident a few minutes before class. I think her excuse letter is on your desk, sir."  
  
"Well, Miss Granger. Thank you for that report." Professor answered lightly. "But, since the remaining minutes of this period call for you doing your outline of the research topics I still have to give out, then I suggest that you and Mister Malfoy pair up. As for Miss Patil and Mister Addison, I will call them later and give them their topic."  
  
"But sir...!" Hermione started to protest. Draco hands clenched and rested on the table in front of him. Other than that, he did not make any noise or protest.  
  
"I am sorry, Miss Granger. But I cannot let you two do nothing for the remainder of the period." The professor said.  
  
"But sir, I can do the outline without Paul's help. I'm sure Malfoy, um... Draco, can do it as well." Hermione argued. She turned to Draco and he nodded his head. She looked back to the professor.  
  
Professor Lupin was shaking his head. "I am sorry, but I cannot let Paul and Parvati have the grade in which they did not help at all. You will be paired up with Mister Malfoy."  
  
Hermione, having no other thing to say, turned to Draco for help. Draco cleared his throat.  
  
"Professor?" He called out. Professor Lupin turned to him and looked at him expectantly. "Grang- Hermione and I are both prefects, Sir. I think it would be unfair to the rest if we would happen to work together on this project."  
  
Hermione's face brightened and she quickly turned to the Professor with a hopeful look. Draco gave a small smile when he saw her act and look like that. He almost forgot that she was looking and acting like that because she wanted to get out of being partnered with him. He quickly suppressed the smile into a scowl.  
  
"Yes, I am well aware of that fact, Mister Malfoy. But I think that Defense Against the Dark Arts isn't really Miss Granger's forte." The professor remarked, smiling. Hermione's alabaster skin went crimson and she stared down at her hands. "And I believe that you are very proficient, Mister Malfoy. And so, I don't think there would be any more problems with fairness. Now, please pair up and I shall begin with the distribution of the research topics."  
  
But Draco did not make a move towards Hermione. And she him. Hermione was still staring down at her hands, while Draco stayed in his slouched, I- don't-give-a-damn position.  
  
"Mister Malfoy?" Professor Lupin looked at Draco expectantly. Groaning, Draco got his things and walked towards the very front of the class. The professor smiled and went back to his list of topics. Suddenly, Draco was whirled around when someone grabbed his arm. It was Ron.  
  
"You ever hurt her, I'll kill you myself." Ron said venomously. He whispered it so that his seatmate, Slytherin Pansy Parkinson wouldn't hear it. Instead of being intimidated, Draco smirked.  
  
"What are you talking about, Weasley?" Draco asked as he pulled his arm back and gave Ron a glare. Then he went towards Hermione and sat down on the empty chair next to her. He sat down with such a bang that Hermione jumped and let out a gasp. Draco looked at her in confusion.  
  
"What's wrong with you, Granger? Feeling jumpy all the time or is it just with me?" Draco drawled. Hermione looked uncertainly from him to someone at the back. She shook her head and went back to staring at her hands.  
  
Just at that moment, Professor Lupin gave them a small sheet of parchment which was folded up. Hermione looked up and took it, ignoring the look Draco was giving her.  
  
Great! I'm stuck with the Gryffindor know-it-all who's probably not a know- it-all anymore since she's so bad in this subject. Draco thought sarcastically. But, at least I'll get to study her and why she's just so jumpy all the time.  
  
Hermione was reading the small piece of parchment when she let out a small, frightened sound. This snapped Draco out of his thoughts and looked at her.  
  
"What?" He asked. She didn't answer, except she merely handed him the parchment with shaking hands. Draco took the paper and read it.  
  
Inside was written: 'Research on the Rapere Curse or the rape curse.'  
  
Draco glanced at Hermione and saw that she was still shaking and breathing heavily. Something happened to her that affected her so bad that she shakes by just reading about this rape curse. Draco thought.  
  
"Come on, Granger. Let's get started on this." Draco said, taking out some parchment and his quill. Hermione nodded and they started to work.  
  
Well, Draco worked, Hermione only gave a few comments here and there about what they should outline on the Curse. They handed in their paper long before anyone else in the classroom and were left with doing nothing for the rest of the period. Hermione was trying to calm her nerves down, quite unsuccessfully. Draco chose to ignore her shakings, but he kept it to memory... something he would think about later.  
  
Soon, class ended and all of them started to gather up their things. Hermione was the first one out the door, wanting to be away from everyone and not waiting for either Harry or Ron.  
  
Get a grip, Malfoy! He scolded himself as he gathered up his books and headed out the door. What happened to her is none of your business! Haven't you learned that?!  
  
But he usually contradicted himself these days, because deep inside, he wanted to make her his business, no matter what.  
  
Fuck it! He cursed himself again. Come to a damn decision, Malfoy, are you going to ignore her or are you going to know what happened to her... come to a damn decision!  
  
He passed by a classroom, Arithmancy, on his way to Charms and caught a glimpse of Hermione. Finally, he came to a decision: he would know what happened. There was no turning back, no asking stupid questions on why he wanted to... he would simply use all of his power and all means to know what happened to her. And if she would let him, he would make things right for her. No matter what.  
  
His reasons for doing this would be examined later. There was little time to do that now. He finally settled on doing it because he needed something to prove to himself that he had changed... for the better. Whether his reasons would escalate to something other than that need to prove himself, they would have to be for later.  
  
But he couldn't shake off the fact that mere glimpses of Hermione looking like that made him want to change the whole world. Just for her.  
  
Now why would he think that?  
  
Getting a headache from all this thinking, he entered the Charms classroom and sat next to Goyle who was sleeping at the desk. Draco chuckled at the sight and woke his friend up. Goyle looked at him sleepily and stretched.  
  
"Rise and shine, friend." Draco said lightly. "The class is about to begin." 


	5. Revealing More than Intended

Authors' Note: Thanks for all of your reviews! It's really fun getting them! So, thanks! To harrypotterwanter, as for Hermione not doing so well in Defense Against the Dark Arts, we figured that she's not really failing in that subject, only that Draco is better than her. Anyways, keep those reviews coming and thanks! Thanks for the link to an online Latin dictionary, Seraph! And now, on with the story!  
  
Chapter 5: Revealing More than Intended  
  
Hermione made sure that she did not encounter Malfoy for the rest of the week. It was just too weird, always seeing him looking at her as if he wanted to know every thought, every secret she held. It was because of that incident in the prefect's common room... if she hadn't reacted that way, maybe he would never give her another glance.  
  
She was confused and tired. It was Friday, finally she could cry and sleep her worries away. All she wanted to do right now was go to her room and release every pent up emotion she held inside. She didn't want to think about studying or doing her prefect's duties... she just wanted to cry and sleep.  
  
Ron had stopped with his threats and his suggestive touches. But the mere mention of his name or the nearness to him made her want to scream and run away from him. She wanted to hit him with all her might and get her revenge for violating her when she thought he was her friend. Harry did not pay her any attention at all, he simply went on with his everyday life. Nothing seemed to matter anymore to him, except for his girlfriend, a Gryffindor fourth year.  
  
Hermione avoided anyone blood-related to Ron. Which meant she avoided Fred, George and Ginny. When they came to talk to her about something, she would politely excuse herself from their presence, muttering some kind of apology on how she should get those prefect duties down. They would look after her in confusion, but then quickly shrugged it off. What was more, Hermione avoided anything male. She was never seen with a guy, any guy. Whether it was Neville or Dean or Seamus... or anyone else. She kept to herself and to Lavender and Parvati, never talking, never looking up when she was alone.  
  
It was precisely that wanting to be unnoticed that made her even more noticed. Well, by one person. Draco always looked from afar, never venturing near her, lest he might frighten her or something along that line. He never made any comments about his observances even to his friends. In fact, he rarely spoke out of class or when he was asked a question.  
  
All in all, Hermione was glad that it was the last day of the week and it was the second to the last class of the day: Transfiguration. Having completed the task set to her, she was left with nothing to except to watch her other classmates struggle with their own problems Professor McGonagall had given them. Only one other person was through and she was currently doing her Arithmancy assignment: Joanna Davidson.  
  
Hermione smiled, looking away from Joanna and checking to see if she got any of her problems wrong. Satisfied that her work was perfect, she looked for something else to do. Grabbing a piece of parchment and her quill she had charmed never to need an ink pot, she doodled to pass away the time.  
  
First, she drew pictures of flowers and butterflies, writing her name in a neat script that all had lines and swishes of a pen. When someone first looked at it, he/she would only see a bunch of lines and curves. But if you looked very closely, you would see her name spelled out. She smiled to herself and looked at the time... it was more or less fifteen minutes to go before the class ended. After a few moments of simply staring at the paper with flower and butterfly borders, her mind drifted off to the assault yet again.  
  
She couldn't get it off her mind. She not telling anybody else contributed to that never-ending replay of what happened to her. The way he had first kissed her, then telling her that he loved her... then when she tried to get away from him, he grabbed her and...  
  
She gripped tightly on her quill, almost to the point of breaking it. What she didn't realize, as she thought those horrid thoughts was that her hand was subconsciously moving and she was scribbling something on her piece of paper.  
  
The lines were heavy, making imprints at the back of the thick parchment paper. The quill's tip was about to break, but didn't. She continued to think those thoughts and her hand continued to write on the parchment. Too absorbed, too unmindful, she didn't know what her hand was spelling out. The writing was shakily done due to her trembling and anger.  
  
Class ended and she jumped. All thoughts of the present reality came rushing towards her and she began to frantically hand in her paper to the professor and put all of her things inside her book bag. In her rush to get out of the classroom and head to the next class, she forgot about the piece of paper she'd been doodling on. The last fifteen minutes of Transfiguration were spent in a dreamlike state that Hermione was sure that she had slept and dreamed that she had gone through the whole incident yet again.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco entered the last class for the day, thankful that it was only Transfiguration. Yes, even though a lot of people hated Transfiguration because it was just too damn hard, he reveled in it. The thought of turning something into another thing intrigued him. Therefore, Transfiguration was his second-highest subject. Next to Defense Against the Dark Arts, of course.  
  
He strode over to his seat and was about to sit down when something caught his eye. A blank piece of parchment lay just below his table. Bending over, he picked it up and laid it on top of his desk; then he noticed a few small ink blots and the imprint of heavy lines. Turning the page over, he was surprised to see that it was filled with dark and heavy lines and scratches. The whole page was almost filled with all these lines of black ink.  
  
At that time, Professor McGonagall started her lecture about the first stages of becoming an animagus. Draco was about to crumple the paper, deciding that the owner was probably drawing a poor picture of something, when something caught his eye amidst all the heavy lines and curves.  
  
An 'R'...  
  
Now why would an 'R' be present within these lines? He wondered. He shook off his thoughts and decided to keep the paper. He didn't know who sat in his chair before his class, so it could've been anybody. He would take a good long look at the paper later, in the privacy of his own room. He folded the paper carefully and inserted it into his Potions textbook and took out a blank piece of parchment for his Transfiguration notes.  
  
And hour later, Draco was out of Transfiguration class and was headed to the prefects' room to drop off his books. On the way there, he was stopped by the Head Boy, Josh.  
  
"Hey Malfoy." Josh called out, his books under his arm and he was running towards Draco. Draco turned at the sound of his name and grinned at the tall brown haired boy who was running towards him.  
  
"Hey Head Boy... irritate anybody lately?" Draco asked as Josh halted a few feet before him, slightly out of breath but grinning like mad.  
  
"Yeah, in fact I have... Miss Haden, of course." Josh replied mischievously. Draco laughed. Josh was a seventh year Slytherin and Elizabeth, the Head Girl, was from Ravenclaw. It wasn't rare that those two got into a friendly fight every now and then. Draco sometimes got tips for irritating women from Josh.  
  
"Should've known..." Draco said, shaking his head. "So, what's up?"  
  
"Kevin told me to tell you that you have practice this evening... You're up against Gryffindor tomorrow."  
  
"What?!" Draco exclaimed. Kevin Mitchell was Josh's best friend and the Slytherin captain and star chaser. "There was no announcement about it..."  
  
"There was, Malfoy. This morning... don't you remember?" Josh asked,  
  
Draco thought... how could he have missed that announcement? What was he doing around that time? Then he groaned inwardly. Damn it! He was too busy looking at-  
  
"Hey Malfoy...!" Josh said, making Draco snap out of his thoughts. "Kevin said that practice was at 9 pm, right after Gryffindor's practice."  
  
"Why didn't he come and tell me this himself?" Draco asked. It wasn't like Kevin would go and order his best friend, who happened to be Hogwarts' Head Boy, to tell Draco about practice.  
  
"Well you know him, he's got to tutor some poor boy on how to crack jokes and play pranks on the others." Josh said nonchalantly, then started laughing. "Kidding... he's got some work to do."  
  
"Oh. Well, thanks Josh..." Draco said, grinning.  
  
"Yeah, I've got to go... Her Highness told me that she'd skin me alive if I would be late for dinner one more time." Josh said, referring to Elizabeth and her abhorrence for tardiness. He gave a salute to Draco as he sped down the other way towards the Heads' room.  
  
Draco chuckled to himself. He knew that Josh had a small and secret crush on Elizabeth, which was why he often irritated her and annoyed her to no end. After saying the password to the portrait of the prefects' room, he went inside and almost bumped into Hermione who was just about to leave.  
  
"It's a good thing you're not hitting me anymore for bumping into you, Granger." He said sarcastically. As he stepped off to the side to let her pass.  
  
"Shut it, Malfoy." Hermione retorted, but Draco saw the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks. After glaring at him, she went out of the room.  
  
Draco shrugged and went to his room. Once he entered, the whole room was magically lit up with the torches and the candles all around. Dropping off his books on his desk, he sat down on his desk chair for a while, thinking about the day that had passed. He took out his Potions book and opened it to the page where he inserted the piece of paper. After looking at it once more, he set it down on his desk and he stood up. He intended to come back to it later after quidditch practice.  
  
Straightening his robes but leaving them unbuttoned, he went out of his room and out of the prefects' room, walking briskly towards the Great Hall for dinner. He was one of the last people to enter and he went directly to his teammates who had saved him a seat.  
  
"Ready for practice, Malfoy?" Kevin asked in his Irish accent. He was a tall and slightly beefy boy with light-brown hair.  
  
"Yeah..." Draco answered, smirking as he sat down and began to eat. "So Mitchell, any idea on how Potter's feeling tonight?"  
  
"Hopefully scared as hell." Kevin replied, then the whole team laughed. After Marcus Flint had graduated, Kevin had been appointed as team captain. And they have not lost a game against Gryffindor all through the past year. Potter was captain since last year.  
  
"Hey Malfoy, care to help us with one of our famous tactics? It sure gets the ladies jumping up for joy." Asked Steven Tanner, who was one of the team beaters. His cousin, Mark, was also a beater and they would usually plan these daring moves to impress the girls. Sometimes, Draco would come in, seeing that he was the one all the Slytherin girls rooted for.  
  
"Not today, Tanner." Draco replied, shaking his head.  
  
"So any new ventures?" Slytherin chaser, Adam Baker asked. He was in fifth year with spiky black hair.  
  
"None." Draco replied, smiling at the fact that his teammates were actually interested in his exploits with girls before. Sure, he'd laid a few girls... but it had never gone into anything after that. He kept to himself mostly these days.  
  
"Really?" Adam asked again.  
  
"Yeah... being prefect means you can't have one night stands anymore." Draco said, laughing. The others who were listening to the conversation laughed as well.  
  
"Oh... but then again, you do have the privilege to work two of the hottest sixth year girls in the whole of Hogwarts." Patrick Connell, the team keeper said.  
  
"What?" Draco asked, eyeing the sixth year carefully. Patrick couldn't have meant Hermione and Joanna... right?  
  
"Granger and Davidson, man." Patrick elaborated.  
  
"What about them?" Draco asked.  
  
"Oh come on, you don't think they're hot?" Patrick asked, disbelieving that his friend didn't know the potential of the two girls he was working with.  
  
Draco looked over to the Ravenclaw table where he saw Joanna and her friends talking and eating. Yes, he did admit that she was pretty but then... Looking towards the Gryffindor table, he saw Hermione. And if the sight of her smiling and laughing as she talked with the two girls she was always with didn't make his heart beat a little faster, he wasn't sure what could.  
  
Shaking his head, disgusted with his thoughts about Hermione Granger. He turned to Patrick. "Think whatever you choose to think, Patrick. I just see Davidson as too happy and cheery and friendly all the time and as for Granger, I still think she's a know-it-all." He finally said, smirking.  
  
"I still think that they're hot. I wish I was Slytherin prefect..." Patrick said.  
  
"Dream on, Connell." Called out Zach Taylor, another Slytherin chaser, then the two laughed.  
  
The meal went on for quite some time, with the whole team laughing and cracking jokes (usually something about Potter being so in love with his Gryffindor girlfriend).  
  
"Alright team, let's get to work." Kevin said, standing up after everyone had eaten. Soon, the other six members stood up and went to the Slytherin dormitories to discuss their game plan.  
  
* * *  
  
Two hours later, Draco went inside his room, just coming from practice and a shower. His muscles ached and he was definitely sleepy, but he had made a promise to himself that he would check out that piece of paper. He changed into his pajamas and stretched before sitting down at his desk and poring over that paper.  
  
He stared and stared and stared at it. He could now see that after the 'R' was another letter. This letter was heavily marked and it seemed that the writer had subconsciously written it because of the lines that strayed from the actual letter.  
  
It was the letter 'O'.  
  
Now Draco thought. 'R', 'O'... what could it probably spell out? Rock? Rose? Roast? Road? Rob? Rod?... Ron?  
  
Ron.  
  
Draco looked at the last letter and sure enough, it was the letter 'N'. You couldn't actually see it a first partly because of the lines that obscured it and mostly because it was done in heavy script that you almost couldn't see one of the legs. He sat back in his chair, wondering why would anyone write Weasley's name?  
  
Because someone has a crush on Ron? Draco thought about it and it was possible... but then why all the heavy lines and script? Why all the bad handwriting (like someone was shaking) and the ink blots? Maybe the writer was in a trance when she wrote this... He assumed that the writer was a girl...  
  
But why the heaviness? And the implied hate?  
  
Maybe something bad happened to her. Maybe she hated him or something...  
  
He looked again at the piece of paper. He now saw clearly Ron's name, but there was still something written under it.  
  
An 'H' and a 'T'.  
  
Now what in the hell was that? Draco wondered. He was getting a headache from all of this cross-examination of this note. He even wondered why he bothered to pick it up in the first place. Feeling just so tired and sleepy, he set the letter down and went over to his bed. After turning down the covers, he slipped between the clean sheets of his green bed and drifted off to sleep. 


	6. The Quidditch Game

Authors' Note: Thank you for all of your reviews! We're sorry that we had a long time updating. We promise to update more frequently. We've been discussing the flow of the story and we've got some pretty good ideas. All we need to do is write them down. And we've been pretty busy ourselves, with all the enrollment and stuff. Anyways, a short chapter for all you lovely people, so enjoy!  
  
Chapter 6: The Quidditch Game  
  
The sky was of a bright blue with hints of clouds drifting by. The morning sun was shining brightly and the air was crisp and cool. All in all, it was a perfect day for quidditch.  
  
Harry Potter stepped out into the grassy field of the quidditch stadium and took a deep breath. He was feeling good about this day and he was sure that Gryffindor would now win against Slytherin. He thought about the game plans he and his team had constructed long before and put them into practice. The Gryffindor team was composed of chasers sixth year Marla Banks, fifth year Eric Lancaster, and seventh year Amanda Thompson; beaters Russell Archer and Chris Morris who were both seventh years and keeper Frances Cole who was a fifth year. Harry had handpicked his team since the start of the school year, since the others had already graduated.  
  
He looked over to the side and sure enough, he saw the whole Slytherin team sitting on their side of the bleachers. Harry frowned. They were surely discussing their own game plan. It was no argument that their captain had been driving his team to perfection. Oh sure, Draco had never caught the snitch, but that didn't affect in the winning of Slytherin over Gryffindor; because Slytherin's points were always higher than a hundred and fifty, making the catching of the snitch useless for Gryffindor's victory.  
  
But that was all going to change. Harry had made sure that they would win today. No matter what.  
  
With a swish of his scarlet quidditch robes, he went back to Gryffindor's locker room to prepare his team for this match.  
  
Half an hour later, the game was about to begin. As the Slytherin made their way out, Draco went over to the professors' stands. His father was there for the game and Lucius nodded approvingly towards his son. Draco then noticed Stephen Weller, the seventh year Gryffindor commentator. Suddenly, with a spark of mischief, he called out Professor McGonagall as Stephen was making a few announcements.  
  
"Professor McGonagall...!" Draco called out. The Deputy Headmistress looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Yes, Mister Malfoy?"  
  
"Is there any chance, any chance at all in the near future that Slytherin might comment once in a while? I mean, all I hear during the game is Gryffindor this and Gryffindor that... when does Slytherin get some attention?" Draco asked, grinning.  
  
"I would take that into consideration, Mister Malfoy. Meanwhile, I suggest you keep your mind on the game instead of wondering whether Slytherin would have a chance to commentate or not." Professor McGonagall said, smiling at Draco in her own authoritative way as Stephen glared at the Slytherin seeker.  
  
"Will do, Professor." Draco said and made a gesture of tipping his hat (even though he had none) and sped off into the field and took his place above the other players, across from Harry. And he waited for the balls to be released. Once Madam Hooch released the balls, the game was off and everyone went into action.  
  
Draco hovered above all the rest as he searched for the snitch. But sometimes, he would get into a strategy game play with Patrick and Zach, confusing the Gryffindor chasers by swerving in and out of them at high speed. In due time, Slytherin had 30 points over Gryffindor, who had scored only 10 points.  
  
During the game, as Draco did not see any sign of the golden snitch, he would think back on the mysterious note he was still trying to figure out... He would space out for a few times, before realizing where he was and ducking just in time before he was hit on the head with a bludger.  
  
"You alright, Malfoy?" Asked Mark Tanner, one of the Slytherin beaters as he stopped just a few feet away from Draco.  
  
"Yeah... I'm fine." Draco assured then smirked. Mark wondered at first why Draco was smirking, then followed Draco's pointed finger towards fifth year Gryffindor chaser, Eric Lancaster in a very precarious position in the air. Oh he was in his broom, alright, but he didn't know that two Slytherins were right behind him and ready to pull one of their harmless and foul-less pranks.  
  
Mark nodded and together, they made their descent to where Lancaster was. They came from opposite directions, hurtling at top speed towards the unknowing Gryffindor chaser. When Eric finally saw the flash of green on his right, he turned and saw Draco Malfoy grinning at him. Eric looked to the left and saw Mark Tanner coming towards him. Stunned and afraid, he didn't know what to do. He kept looking at his sides, watching in shock as the two Slytherins were coming toward him.  
  
Finally, when Draco and Mark were only a few feet away, they put on the brakes on their brooms and stopped mere inches from Eric. And the poor boy was so shocked and afraid that he simply was almost knocked out of his broom. Draco and Mark burst out laughing before turning back to what they were supposed to do.  
  
Harry immediately went to Draco's side. "What the hell was that, Malfoy?!" Harry yelled as Draco looked with a bored expression on his face.  
  
"What do you mean, Scarhead?"  
  
"That was supposed to be a foul!" Harry shot back.  
  
"You need ice Potter? I can see the fire in your eyes... tsk tsk, you know, you'll get brain damage if your head heats up!" Draco replied mockingly, smirking.  
  
"Stick to the game Malfoy, no more damn tricks!" Harry warned.  
  
"Am I supposed to be scared, Potter?" Draco asked before flying away to a better spot to see the snitch. But then he shot back. "And by the way, Potter, check your handbook, that wasn't a foul! I didn't knock him off!"  
  
Harry, unable to say anything more, turned back to the game and directed his team.  
  
Thirty minutes later, Slytherin had a hundred points, as opposed to Gryffindor's meager 30. Harry knew that if he could catch the snitch right then and there, they would win for sure.  
  
Meanwhile, Draco was also looking for the snitch, or at least he appeared so. He was too busy thinking about that damn note. What could it mean? Why would someone write about Weasley in such a manner? Because he did something bad to them?  
  
The thought of doing something bad to somebody quickly averted Draco's thoughts to Hermione. What made him think of her then was a mystery to him. He absentmindedly searched for her amidst the mass of scarlet and gold overflowing in the Gryffindor bleachers. When he finally saw her though, he saw that she was with her two girl friends again, and Weasley was nowhere in sight.  
  
Interesting... Draco thought as he continued to look at her.  
  
That was probably the time he noticed how pretty she was. Her hair was a beautiful shade of brown that reminded him of hot chocolate he used to have at home during winter. It flowed down her back in waves that made his palms itch to stroke it. She'd grown a few inches since her first year, but he knew that she was only eye-level to his chest. He knew from glaring at her all the time that she had eyes of a deep chocolate brown.  
  
Draco recalled the time when he had accidentally slammed her into a bookcase... come to think of it, it was around that time he started looking at her differently. He didn't see her as the know-it-all Gryffindor, despite what he may have said to his friends. He didn't even notice her attractiveness until today, or at least he only admitted it to himself today. But after her... reaction to his body on hers, even though he did slam into her... made him observe her more and wonder what happened to make her the way she acted.  
  
The nagging feeling didn't leave him. And he didn't want it to.  
  
Draco was so occupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear a faint buzzing sound at first. He was too busy looking at Hermione, who was looking at the game as someone scored another ten points for some team. He didn't even realize that he was a part of the game!  
  
Harry however, saw the tiny golden snitch hovering just a few inches before Draco's face. Maybe those glasses of his really help since Harry was almost on the other side of the field. Not wanting to waste a moment and not wanting Malfoy to grab the snitch first, even though he looked like he didn't even realize that the snitch was right in front of him, Harry sped off on his Firebolt and was headed directly towards the snitch.  
  
Draco's head was still in space when he now realized that he had been hearing a buzzing sound to the right side. Turning his head, he came face to face with the golden snitch a few inches away from his face. At first, his brain didn't process the information that he was staring at the snitch. But then, he snapped out of it and tentatively, he reached out and grabbed it, just as a hand came swiping towards where the snitch once was.  
  
Draco looked and saw that Potter had an unsure look on his face. They faced each other, hands held into fists as the crowd grew silent, waiting, watching for what was to happen next. The two teams were halted in the air, merely suspended. Kevin looked like he was going to have a heart attack. The others had unsure looks on their faces.  
  
"This isn't your day, Potter." Draco said smoothly before throwing the snitch a few inches in the air and catching it again. He smirked at the death glare Potter was giving him.  
  
"Slytherin wins; 250 to 40! Draco Malfoy has caught the snitch!" Stephen announced as the Slytherin house roared in victory. Professor Snape clapped as well and gave his approval toward the team.  
  
The two teams touched down to the ground and the Slytherin team all came around and clapped Draco on the back.  
  
"Damn Malfoy! Great game play!" Kevin said, grinning at his team seeker. Draco grinned back and shook his head.  
  
Draco turned towards the Gryffindors who were looking sullen and sulky. Oh well... He searched once again for Hermione and saw her rushing towards the castle, probably to finish off her studies.  
  
Then he remembered that he had to meet Hermione in the library to research for their project in Defense Against the Dark Arts. But before he could join his team towards the Slytherin locker rooms, a hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing so. Draco turned and saw the proud face of Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"Well done, my son." Lucius said.  
  
"Thank you, father." Draco replied. Then Lucius nodded and walked off to the Hogwarts castle. Draco continued to walk towards the Slytherin locker room.  
  
He had won today... and it was the best feeling in the world. 


	7. Piecing It Together

Authors' Note: Thank you for all of your reviews! It's really nice getting them and reading them! We're glad that you liked the whole Quidditch game. We really hate the times when Draco never ever gets the snitch, and so, we're giving him a break. We think he deserves it, right? You can all probably guess the content of this chapter just by noticing the chapter title. All the information about the curse was created by us. Hopefully, you all like it! Read on!  
  
Chapter 7: Piecing It Together  
  
After the Quidditch game, Hermione quickly went to the Prefect's room and got all the things she would be needing for the research session with Malfoy today. He had sent her a note during breakfast that they would start their research work for Defense Against the Dark Arts after the game. And so, being the studious girl that she is, she had to go.  
  
She headed to the library after getting her school bag from her room. Ignoring all inklings and horrid thoughts of what had happened here when she was alone, she walked on. Ron and Harry were probably whining over how Malfoy happened to catch the snitch this time.  
  
She paused in her steps before opening the doors to the library.  
  
The memories were coming back and she couldn't help but feel scared that there might be a repeat of that happening today. Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, trying to summon her courage that had sunken deep inside her ever since the incident. Taking a deep breath, she gingerly eased the door and peered inside. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw a number of students poring over books and Madame Pince, the librarian was at her desk, dutifully filing papers. Opening the door slowly, she stepped inside and carefully walked over to a desk by a window. It was near the other students so she didn't have to be afraid of being alone with Malfoy; but far enough to have the peace and quiet of studying.  
  
Setting her bag down on the floor, she gently massaged her aching shoulder from the weight of her school bag. Then she got out her parchments, quills and her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook and laid them all on the desk before going over to a book section where she knew some books would contain information about the Rape Curse.  
  
The thought of her oh-so-unlucky research topic made her blood run cold. But shaking it all off, she got all the books needed (she had gotten four books: Unknown Curses Created in the 1500 - 1600's; Creators of Curses: Volume 3; Unknown Counter Curses and their origins; and More Information about Curses.) and placed them all on top of the desk. After sitting on a chair, she laid everything out in neat piles for easy cross- referencing and writing. When everything was settled, she waited for Malfoy to get there.  
  
He was taking an awful lot of time not getting there because fifteen minutes later, he still hadn't shown up. Hermione was getting restless... and so, in an effort to keep herself busy, she took a piece of parchment and her quill (still charmed to never need an inkpot) and thought about what to write. She seemed to have forgotten the implications of her writing or scribbling on parchment when she had nothing to do because she thought nothing of it. She once said that no harm can be done in scribbling her thoughts down when Lavender once asked before why she had about a gazillion parchment papers with almost unreadable writings on them lying around in their room before.  
  
While thinking about what to write, her thoughts drifted ultimately to Draco Malfoy.  
  
Why do I have to be partnered with him anyway!? She thought angrily as she subconsciously wrote on her parchment. Little did she know or realize that she was writing the exact same thing she wrote in Transfiguration class yesterday.  
  
'RON... HATE... I HATE HIM..."  
  
But back to her thoughts, she was having a battle with her mind about why she had to be partnered with him for the rest of the year in Defense Against the Dark Arts.  
  
With the other Slytherin guys, I can handle... I mean, at least I can still work with them fine... She continued her tirade in her head. But Malfoy?!?! Why him??  
  
Because he's the best student in Defense Against the Dark Arts... She reasoned with herself.  
  
So what?! She angrily thought back at her alter-ego who was fighting with her in her head. I'm just as good as him... if not better than him!  
  
Not in Defense Against the Dark Arts, you're not! Her alter-ego was saying.  
  
I guess... She conceded. Wait a minute...! 'I guess'? I don't think so! She snapped back at her alter-ego who chose that appropriate moment to leave her be.  
  
Why do I have to be stuck with him on this project anyway?! And with this darn research topic?! I swear, the gods have something against me...! She thought.  
  
I mean, it's bad enough that he crashed into me in the Prefects' common room and I almost blew my secret... and he's always looking at me as if I'm crazy or something... but why does he have to meddle in my life?!  
  
Hermione fought the urge to scream right then and there.  
  
Why does he have to be so damn observant anyway?! No wait, I take that back... why does he have to be damn smart anyway?! And while we're at it, why does he have to be so damn late?"  
  
"Granger." Came Draco's smooth voice from a few feet beyond her. Hermione looked behind her and sure enough, Draco was walking towards her in his measured strides. He was wearing a dark green turtleneck sweater and black pants. His school robes were left open in the front and his hair was still wet from the shower he just took. Draco regarded her with cool interest, his eyes quickly scanning the paper in front of her.  
  
Suddenly, it clicked. But he made no expression of surprise or shock cross his features.  
  
Hermione, however, looked at him and found that her mind went blank and her mouth was suddenly dry. For a moment, she simply looked up at his blue eyes.  
  
"I see you're already starting research." He said, gesturing to the paper she'd been writing on. He was about to grab it from her unresisting fingers when she snapped out of her thoughts (about what exact shade of blue his eyes were) and grabbed the parchment and held it close to her body, looking at him as she would as if he was about to take something very precious away from her.  
  
Draco's right eyebrow raised as he walked over to the chair opposite her and sat down. He leaned forward and propped his chin on his hands. "What have you got written on the paper, Granger?" He asked coolly.  
  
"That's none of your business, Malfoy." She replied, still holding on to the parchment for dear life.  
  
"Why? A love letter, perhaps?" He asked.  
  
"No!" Hermione quickly shot back, her cheeks beginning to warm. "Of course not! Why would I be writing a love letter to anyone?"  
  
"Oh, there are plenty of reasons..." Draco replied, smirking. "But, I think I was mistaken when I assumed you were writing a love letter to anyone-"  
  
"Yes, you were! There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that I would write a love-"  
  
"I think you were writing a short and detailed article of your fantasies about me." He interrupted.  
  
"W-wh-what?" She sputtered as her cheeks became redder than a tomato. "I would never in my life do such a thing!"  
  
"Really?" He feigned surprise. "Then why won't you let me read what you've written there?"  
  
"Because it's none of your business!" She snapped, her voice rising. He leant back into his chair and raised an eyebrow. "And why do you-" She was forced to stop in mid-sentence when he calmly placed a finger on his lips. Hermione's eyes blazed with anger as she got the piece of parchment and started ripping it into shreds. When she all had confetti in place of the once whole parchment, she threw the pieces inside her bag exasperatedly. "Happy?" She asked as she turned back to him.  
  
Draco looked at her with an innocent expression on his face. "No need to be embarrassed about your... little admirations towards me, Granger. I get them all the time."  
  
Hermione was about to scream and holler and yell at him, complete with scratching that smirk off his face when she desperately controlled herself. It took her a few deep breaths and about ten counts before she calmly looked into his face and said, "Let's just get started on this project... please." She grabbed the book on top of the pile she'd placed there and opened it to the page where the curse was written. When she reached the page, she grabbed a piece of parchment and started taking notes.  
  
Draco watched her for a moment, noticing the way her eyes widened over the said curse and her hands beginning to shake as she took down notes. Then, he spoke up. "What do you want me to do?"  
  
Hermione looked up at him and for a split second, Draco saw the fear in her eyes. She snapped out of it and answered his question. "You could do the counter curse and part of the biography of the creator of the curse." She suggested.  
  
He shrugged and carefully took out his quill and grabbed a few parchment papers before getting a book. They worked in silence for about an hour.  
  
But Draco's eyes sometimes never even rested on the page of the book. He was busy looking at Hermione and her current state. He peered over what she had written and it read:  
  
'The Rapere Curse or the Rape Curse was one of the most powerful curses to be created in the wizarding world. Created in Germany by Fraenkel Klaudius, it was used to render a woman unable to fend for herself during an assault and make her relive the experience for the rest of her life. The Rape Curse is known to have been used on only thirty women before the counter curse was created and the law that abolished the Rape Curse altogether.  
  
The actual incantation of the curse has only been written once. It is by law that it is not to be written or said ever again, but the counter curse is still being taught for precautionary measures. The 400 year old parchment containing the said incantation of the Rape Curse is secretly kept in one of the top Wizard Museums in the world...'  
  
"Granger?" Draco said softly. Hermione looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Have you found anything about this Klaudius guy?" He asked her, knowing the answer already. No book in the extensive Hogwarts library held the information about Frankael Klaudius other than his date of birth and the day he died.  
  
Hermione shook her head forlornly. "Do you know anything about him? Other than his name, what he created, when he was born and when he died?"  
  
Draco nodded. Hermione's eyes widened. "You do?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How?" Hermione asked, interested very much on how he managed to get such information about Klaudius.  
  
"My family and I went to Germany a few years back. I found out all about him there... even though the people there treat him like You-Know-You or something." He replied.  
  
"Oh..." Hermione said, then looked at him hopefully. "Would you tell me about him?"  
  
"I was planning to anyway, Granger." Draco replied, giving her a half- smile. Hermione's face brightened as she smiled.  
  
"Thank you..." She said. He shrugged but deep inside, Draco was reeling at the impact of her smile on him. "So, what do you know about Klaudius?"  
  
"Okay... Let's start at the beginning..." Draco paused, gathering his thoughts. "Fraenkel Klaudius was born on October 19, 1657 in Erzgebirge, Germany. He was the youngest of eight children and the only son of the Count of Erzgebirge."  
  
"So he was rich? And powerful?" Hermione interrupted.  
  
"Yes. But, he was also exploited from the wizarding world because of the curse he created." Draco said.  
  
"Oh... continue then." Hermione prodded, leaning forward expectantly.  
  
"Well, it was said that he fell in love with this young and beautiful muggle girl when she worked in his family's castle after the girl's father had died..."  
  
"What was the girl's name?" Hermione asked.  
  
"There is no record of it anywhere." Draco answered.  
  
"Huh? Why?"  
  
"If you were the inspiration, so to speak, for creating this curse and being the first victim of it, would you want to be written in the Wizard history books forever?" He asked.  
  
"I guess not..." Hermione said sheepishly.  
  
"Anyway, it was said that Klaudius loved this girl with all his heart. And with her working in his family's castle, he did everything to have her. Now, the girl did not love him back. But, she realized that the only way she would get away from him if she pretended to love him and make him trust her." Draco said, pausing.  
  
"After a year of working under the Klaudius' household and having Fraenkel secretly falling head over heels in love with her, she devised a plan to get away from him... forever. She told him one night, after he had proposed to her to marry him, that she would marry him, only if he gave her one last chance to visit her family and say goodbye. Fraenkel was planning to elope with her to France... He agreed, but then she never came back."  
  
"Where did she go?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Sweden."  
  
"Oh... what happened next?"  
  
"Well, that's where the story all began. Klaudius went against his father's wishes and set out a troop to track her down and find her. While waiting for word on her location, Fraenkel locked himself for days on end in his room where he devised a special curse to have her back."  
  
"The Rape Curse." Hermione offered in a small voice.  
  
"It was not actually supposed to be a Rape Curse." Draco explained. "It was ultimately called that because of Fraenkel's mistake."  
  
"What mistake?"  
  
"You see, what Fraenkel initially wanted to do was have her body, her mind and her heart to succumb to his will. Unfortunately, a person's heart will never give in to any such curse of an evil nature. Therefore, instead of a person's heart, it became her memory."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The Rape Curse causes a person to be rendered unable to fight off an aggressor purposely assaulting her because of a carnal want, right?"  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"Well, along with that, is the most painful effect of the curse on the victim. When it is cast on someone, the curse will also make her relive the experience everyday for the rest of her life. Every hour, every minute and every second of the day, the victim will only see, hear and feel what happened to her because of the curse." Draco said.  
  
Hermione placed a hand over her mouth in fear and shock. She looked absolutely terrified.  
  
"You okay, Granger? I can stop if you want to..." Draco said, taking note of her state.  
  
"I'm fine. Please continue." Hermione said, in an effort to know more about the curse and to cover up her fear as well. Draco shrugged and continued.  
  
"To suffice the story, when Fraenkel finally found the girl, he wasted no time in placing her under the curse and having his way with her." Draco stopped when Hermione gasped. "Are you sure I should continue."  
  
"Continue..." She said meekly, smiling.  
  
"Well, it was only after raping her that he realized his mistake. The girl was now broken and crazy. She was dead, in a way. And because of this, Fraenkel killed himself."  
  
"How?"  
  
"In front of the girl, right after he raped her, he conjured up a chamber in his hate for himself and his want to die. It was a death chamber, taken from one of the books he had been reading. The original death chamber only placed a suicidal person in it and poisonous fumes would engulf him. After the wizard had died, the chamber itself would crumble and disintegrate, leaving no trace." Draco said. "But, with Klaudius' death chamber, he created it so that the fumes would not really kill him, but just enough to make him weak. Then, water filled up the chamber. But this was no ordinary water because it burned his skin before he would drown in it. When he died, the chamber disintegrated."  
  
"That's horrible!" Hermione exclaimed.  
  
"I'm getting to the good part of the tale, Granger. Don't worry." Draco said, half-smiling. Hermione nodded and Draco told her the rest.  
  
"The girl's friend, who was a wizard somehow managed to grab hold of the parchment Klaudius used to make the Rape Curse. He wanted to create a counter curse for it after what happened to the girl and what happened when other lust-filled men tried to use it on other women as well. And he did, using the same formula Fraenkel used; he managed to use the will of a person's heart to fight off the Rape Curse."  
  
"How does the counter curse work?" Hermione asked.  
  
"It's like a patronus... but it does not need much thinking to conjure up the counter curse... only the heart." Draco explained. "The will of the victim, plus the revised incantation, would be powerful enough to stop the aggressor. The pain the aggressor would feel was like the Crutacius Curse."  
  
"A counter curse would be too late in my situation. Even if he did not use the Rape Curse in the first place." Hermione mumbled.  
  
"Pardon?" Draco asked. But he had heard it.  
  
"Oh...!" Hermione snapped out of her thoughts. "Can the counter curse be used without the Rape curse being used on the victim?"  
  
"Unfortunately, no. The counter curse can only be used when the Rape Curse is used." Draco answered. He saw the brief flash of pain cross her features. His suspicions began to escalate... and a plan began to form itself in his head.  
  
"Oh..." Hermione said.  
  
"I didn't disturb you too much, Granger?" He asked.  
  
"No... I'm fine." She said shakily.  
  
"Then why are you shaking?"  
  
"Um... because I'm starving!" Hermione answered. Draco raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Hermione then quickly stood up and began gathering her things. "I guess I'll just go to the kitchens and eat..." She muttered as she picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder and walked out of the library.  
  
Draco looked on after her before standing up and walking out of the library, fully intending to once and for all, prove or disprove his theories.  
  
* * *  
  
A week after their study session in the library, Hermione was roaming the halls of Hogwarts. It was almost eleven o'clock on a Saturday night, which meant that curfew was almost an hour ago. Being a prefect, Hermione had to do rounds of the school after curfew of the other students. Her own curfew was almost up. She only had one more place to go before she could return to her room and get a good night's sleep.  
  
The last place was the Slytherin dungeons.  
  
Hermione braced herself. She hated doing rounds in the Slytherin part of the castle. It just gave her the creeps... almost like someone was watching her every move. There was also one prefect up and that was Joanna who was also doing rounds in another part of the castle.  
  
Hermione walked briskly but carefully. She had to be alert of any sounds or movements of the students. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was done with the hall and was making her way from the dungeons, passing through the Potions classrooms.  
  
Then she heard a noise. And she stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
A table or chair being scraped on the surface, she realized. She turned towards the source of the sound and saw that the door to a Potions classroom was slightly ajar. A student was out...  
  
She silently walked over to the door, her wand in her hand as she eased it open and looked inside. Nothing. Everything was pitch-black. She walked into the room and was about to say the Lumos charm when someone grabbed her arm and shut the door.  
  
Her wand dropped from her hand.  
  
Hermione tried to scream but a hand quickly clamped itself over her mouth. Her back was to her captor and an arm held her to him. Hermione started to try and break free but he was too strong. He held her, seemingly doing nothing wrong except mold her body to his... but she'd been through enough not to realize that.  
  
The hand left her mouth, and her captor placed a silencing charm so that no one in the school would hear what would go on in this room...  
  
But Hermione never realized this. Instead, she resisted and tried to fight, whimpering the words:  
  
"Ron... please... don't... please... don't hurt me again." 


	8. Someone worth Fighting For

Authors' Note: Thank you for all of your reviews! It's really fun reading them! Well, since you guys were so eager to find out the answer as to who was holding Hermione, the answer is right here. So, we hope that you all like this chapter, we know we do! Also, as a note, it's your reviews that make us write and think about instances concerning this story a whole lot faster! Thank you for being the inspiration! Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 8: Someone worth Fighting For  
  
It took a few moments for Hermione to realize that he was doing nothing to hurt her. She stilled and tried to make sense of it all. He was still holding her to him, but it was no more than an arm around her waist. Suddenly, a light illuminated the room.  
  
"Ron?" Her captor spoke. And Hermione could have died right then and there. She knew that voice... there was no mistaking it. The tone was calm and cool... and deep and almost menacing.  
  
"Draco..." She breathed. And he instantly let her go. She stood shocked for a moment before she whirled around on him, tears were streaming down her face, but she didn't mind. By the looks of it, neither did he. Then, she snapped out of it and defiance blazed in her eyes. She slapped him... hard.  
  
"What's the meaning of this, Malfoy?" She spat. Her whole body was shaking in anger and rage while he was merely looking at her, ignoring the stinging pain on the left side of his face.  
  
"Just an experiment, Granger." Draco answered nonchalantly. He then bent down and picked up her wand and placed it inside his robes. "We have to talk." He said, looking back at her.  
  
"No we don't!" She retorted and tried to walk away from him. She stopped at the locked door, but did not turn around and look at him or even demand her wand back. "Open the door, Malfoy, and let me out."  
  
"No." Was his smooth reply.  
  
This time, she did turn around. She was about to say something when he quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her to the wall. She reacted the way she usually did when cornered and started thrashing about.  
  
"Stop squirming, Granger. I'm not going to rape you... not like that fucking bastard Ron did." Draco said. Hermione instantly stopped and just stared at him. Draco raised an eyebrow and took his hands away from her shoulders and came to rest on the wall behind her.  
  
"Why are you doing this, then?" Hermione asked in a small voice. Her hands were crossed protectively over her chest and she looked apprehensive.  
  
"What did he do to you?" Draco asked. His voice was cold, unfeeling. He looked straight into her brown eyes in that way that almost looked into her soul. Hermione started to cry.  
  
"Nothing..." She finally choked out. "He did nothing."  
  
"Nothing?" Draco echoed. "Then why do you act like this whenever some guy gets close to you? You don't think I've noticed?"  
  
Hermione played it dumb. She didn't want him meddling in her life... not when he already knew so much. "Noticed what?"  
  
"Don't play dumb, Granger." Draco answered. Anger was threatening and he was having a hard time controlling it. "You know what I'm talking about."  
  
"No, I don't!" Hermione shot back. She looked angrily at him.  
  
"You very well do, Granger." Draco insisted. "But since your memory seems to be dislodged. I'll tell you what I already know." With that, he pushed himself off the wall and leaned on a desk a few feet away from her. Hermione's eyes were still trained on him. In the dim light of a solitary lantern somewhere behind him, Draco's features were hard and unyielding. He was not intending to let the opportunity pass.  
  
"So what do you know?" Hermione asked, wiping away her tears.  
  
"I know that something happened to you that makes you jumpy and scared every time someone gets close to you." Draco started, looking at her face closely if she recognized what he was saying. "Do you remember the time when I slammed into you in the prefects' common room?" He asked.  
  
Hermione nodded slowly.  
  
"Well, that alone made me think and wonder what happened to you." Draco replied. "That's when I started to observe you."  
  
"But a girl has every right to be jumpy when someone slams her into a bookcase." Hermione countered.  
  
"True. But, there were also those few words that you uttered when you started to thrash about. Do you remember those?" He asked.  
  
"No." Hermione lied.  
  
"You're lying." Draco remarked then shook his head. "We're not going to get anywhere if you don't cooperate."  
  
"Who said I wanted to get anywhere in the first place, Malfoy?"  
  
Draco's eyebrows lifted for a moment before he spoke again. "I have a perfectly good answer to that, Granger. But I think I'll let that pass and focus on what really matters. I believe that you said 'I won't let you do it again.' Am I right?"  
  
Hermione's sharp intake of breath was an answer enough for him. Draco continued.  
  
"Then, I noticed the bruises. Of course, I could've made them when I held your wrists to prevent you from hitting me; but then I realized something. The bruises were at least two weeks old..."  
  
"How would you know?" Hermione interjected.  
  
"I have an extensive knowledge of medicine, Granger, even if it is a muggle practice." Draco answered coolly. "Those bruises were healing, but my grip on your wrists alone could not have made that kind of damage if it hadn't been for a previous encounter."  
  
Hermione looked down.  
  
"Then, when our topic for the research on Defense Against the Dark Arts was given... you reacted like it happened to you. Like you recognized the feeling and the pain of having been raped." Draco said in a tone that was not at all accusing, simply stating. As if he had been talking about the weather.  
  
Hermione's head snapped up and she looked at him with shock in her face. Tears were flowing again. "How can you talk about this? How can you talk about this as if you were merely an unfeeling... thing hell-bent on making my life miserable?!"  
  
"How would you rather I put it then?" Draco asked. "Would you rather I accuse you of something that wasn't your fault? Or would you rather I laugh at you for what that bastard did to you?"  
  
"For the last time, he did nothing!" Hermione screamed at him.  
  
"Then what in the bloody hell is this?!?" Draco roared, showing her the piece of parchment she'd written in Transfiguration.  
  
Hermione stared at it for what seemed to be the longest time. She recognized the writing, the doodles she'd made on the sides of the page, the 'Hermione' written in her invented script. She recognized the name she'd written in bold, heavy lines... as well as the things written beneath it.  
  
'RON... HATE...'  
  
"Where did you find this?" Hermione asked in a soft voice, not looking up from the page. But she didn't take it either, almost as if holding the paper would send her back to the incident.  
  
"Transfiguration room. Under your desk." Draco replied. "You wrote the same thing when we were at the library a week ago."  
  
This time, Hermione did look up in confusion. "How did you-"  
  
"I saw it. I saw you, writing subconsciously on that piece of parchment I tried to take away." Draco explained, giving her a small smile when he remembered how the whole thing actually went. "I didn't know who wrote the first note in the first place... but when I saw you... it clicked."  
  
Draco then folded the piece of paper and pocketed it.  
  
"So you knew then?" Hermione asked helplessly.  
  
"I knew that he did something bad to you. But when we finally worked on the research, I realized why you were so averse to study that topic." Draco said. "Because it happened to you."  
  
"No..." Hermione said, shaking her head. "Nothing happened to me."  
  
"Granger, quit it already." Draco said in a tone that should be harsh, but her state caused him to gentle his tone. "I know what happened to you..."  
  
"No, you don't!" Hermione said feebly.  
  
"Ron fucking Weasley assaulted you." Draco stated. "And you've been trying to keep it a secret. But you know what it's doing to you?"  
  
"There is no secret to hide-"  
  
"It's making you weak and vulnerable." Draco said, ignoring her protests. Hermione leaned on the wall for support. What Draco said was true, there was no point in denying it.  
  
"So what are you going to do now?" Hermione asked after a few minutes of silence.  
  
"What do you think I'm going to do?"  
  
"Tell a professor?" Hermione offered sarcastically.  
  
Draco smirked. "No. I want to help you."  
  
"Help me?" Hermione repeated. "What else can you do? It happened, okay? It's done! Nothing can make it alright again!"  
  
"You don't think what I'm doing right now is helping you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just made you admit what happened. Don't you think that's making progress?" Draco said. "A few minutes ago, you were denying it ever happened."  
  
Hermione fell silent. Curse him for being so insightful! She thought.  
  
"It's not what I want to do..." Draco continued. "It's what you want me to do about it."  
  
She looked up at him and saw that he was looking at her intently. She looked into his blue eyes which exuded nothing but concern. She almost gave in. Almost.  
  
"Why are you even doing this?" Hermione asked, all anger coming back in full force. "Why do you even care about me?! You never cared about me before... you don't care about anyone!"  
  
Draco was stunned. He did not expect this to happen, nor did he expect her to ask this. Hell, he never even asked himself. He looked at her... and tried to dredge up his own reasons for helping her. She was a Muggle-born and his family did not help Muggle-born witches. But she was also hurt by someone she thought was her friend... The internal battle waged on in Draco's mind. But Hermione was still waiting for an answer.  
  
"I thought you were a Gryffindor." Draco finally said, shaking his head.  
  
"What?" Hermione said, irritated that he was swaying from the question. "Malfoy, are you going to give me a good answer or-"  
  
"Gryffindors are well-known for their courage and nerve. Am I right?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Hermione did not even try to get back at her question. She was too tired for anything else. "Yes." She finally answered, giving in to him once again. It was better off, she assured herself for she was too tired to fight.  
  
"Where's your courage, Hermione?" Draco asked.  
  
Hermione quickly snapped to attention when Draco said her name. But then she shook it off. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Where's your courage to go up to McGonagall or Dumbledore and tell them what happened to you?" Draco asked smoothly.  
  
"I-"  
  
"Wait, before you answer that, let me ask you another question." Draco didn't wait for her to acknowledge his statement, he continued. "Weren't you the one who always said to fight for your rights?"  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"You even formed this organization in fourth year, right?" Draco continued. "S.P.E.W., right? For the House-elves?"  
  
Again, all Hermione could do was nod her head.  
  
"So, if you can fight for House-elf rights and other people's rights, why can't you fight for your own?"  
  
Hermione stayed completely still. He was right yet again!  
  
"You know why I teased and insulted you before?" Draco asked all of a sudden.  
  
By this time, all his questions were making her head spin. But she answered his question anyway.  
  
"No."  
  
"Because you surprised me." Draco confessed. "I never knew anyone who would fight for House-elf rights or fight for what she believed in during such an early age. You got me thinking... and competing against you." He let out a half-laugh.  
  
Hermione fell silent once again. She looked up at Draco and saw something in his eyes that she never saw before... on anyone. Admiration.  
  
"Where's the girl I once knew who would fight for something she believed in? Where's the girl who would do what's right? Where's the girl I looked up to and tried to beat?" Draco asked. He did not even let her answer before he gave a remark. "Or was her courage and loyalty sucked away by that fucking bastard?"  
  
Her eyes widened... she tried to protest yet again but then she realized that it was futile. "I guess he did."  
  
"No, he didn't" Draco argued.  
  
Hermione glared at him. "What's the big deal, Malfoy? First you convince me that he did do something wrong and that I should admit it, then you say that I've lost my courage, then when I agree... you say that he didn't remove my courage?! What is up with you?!?!"  
  
Draco chuckled.  
  
"And then you suddenly laugh at me?!" Hermione asked incredulous.  
  
Draco held up a hand. "Okay, okay, chill and let me explain..." He looked back at her. "Weasley didn't remove your Gryffindor courage... you know why?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're still standing here." Draco said simply. "Courage comes in different forms. The fact that you're trying to cover up what happened to you and trying to live life as normal as possible is one form of courage. But the courage I'm talking about is the way you feel about yourself and others."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Weasley hurt a part of you, emotionally. It makes you scared when you're alone... but your courage is not gone. It's still there. And you can still bring it out and make everything all right again. Even fight back."  
  
"How?"  
  
"By letting others help you. If you keep this to yourself... it would kill you." Draco replied.  
  
Hermione let it all sink in. Was he... no! He couldn't be... He can't be offering to help her...  
  
"You asked a while ago why I even care, right?" Draco snapped her out of her thoughts.  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"I don't even know if it's care..." Draco said, giving her a small laugh. Then he became serious... "What I do know is; for all the years I've known you, Hermione, I've come to a single conclusion."  
  
"Which is?" Hermione asked, watching him as he pushed himself off his leaning position and take a couple of steps towards her. She had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes as he was so tall and only about a foot away from her.  
  
"That you're someone worth fighting for." Draco said simply. His voice had dropped to just above a whisper and it gave Hermione the shivers. Draco closed the gap between them and held her left arm, cradling it with his own.  
  
He continued. "You're someone I want to fight for."  
  
Draco looked into Hermione's brown eyes. His eyes were almost pleading... almost asking her for permission. Hermione's breath became shaky and uneasy. Neither broke eye contact.  
  
Then, Draco's free hand slowly made its way up to touch and hold her face. Hermione gasped softly at the feel of his hand holding her as if she was made of porcelain. Slowly, as if he was hesitating, he bent down. He looked into her eyes when he was just a couple of inches from her face, silently asking if it was okay. She didn't know how to react and so she simply closed her eyes and lifted her face towards his. Without any further thought, Draco closed the space between his lips and hers.  
  
He kissed her softly, gently, not probing, not demanding anything. He was merely longing to feel his lips on hers. He pulled away and looked into her eyes for any sign that she did not like it. There was none. And so, he continued. This time, he opened his mouth slightly and let the tip of his tongue graze the line of her lips. She responded, complying what he was gently asking her to do and deepened the kiss. Hermione's heart almost caught in her chest. She had never known Draco to be so gentle... even the hand that held her face was trembling slightly, as if he was thinking that holding her would hurt her.  
  
After a few moments, Draco slowly and gently pulled away from the kiss. Hermione was gasping for air and Draco's heart was beating furiously against his chest. Slowly he let her go, looking at her uncertainly if she didn't think of the whole situation as inappropriate. She gave him a small smile.  
  
That was enough for him.  
  
"Come with me, I know a way from here to the Prefects' rooms." Draco said, reaching for her wand as well as his own. He gave her back her wand. After he had unlocked the door to the Potions classroom, put off the light and removed the silencing charm, he took her hand and led her through a hole in the wall. In a few minutes, they were in the Prefects' common room.  
  
* * *  
  
By the third week of November, which was almost two weeks after their talk in the Potions classroom, Hermione's life seemed to get better and better. Draco never attempted to do the repeat of the heart-pounding experience that had happened after their little talk, but it was nice for Hermione to know that he was still keeping a very watchful eye on her.  
  
It felt wonderful to have someone go out of their way just for you.  
  
It felt even better when you knew that someone thought you worth fighting for.  
  
To make matters even better, Draco had publicly announced (well, to Joanna and Shawn anyway) that he and Hermione would try to work together for the remainder of the school year. Little did the other prefects know that Draco was merely saying that to let Hermione know that he was making the effort to be her friend. She kept it to memory.  
  
Reluctantly admitted or not, Hermione was beginning to develop feelings for him. And she wasn't sure if she was at all hesitant to try and become something more than friends to him.  
  
Anyhow, no one was prepared for the announcement the Headmaster had in store for them that Friday evening at dinner.  
  
"If I may have your attention please..." Professor McGonagall said just before dinner ended that Friday. All students stopped their chatter and looked at the Deputy Headmistress expectantly. "Thank you. Well, Professor Dumbledore has an important announcement to make for the sixth and seventh years. So, when you are done with dinner, the lower years may go to their dormitories and the sixth and seventh years, please stay. The announcement won't take long. Thank you."  
  
The noise level resumed with wonderings of what could this announcement held. Hermione was looking at the professors in confusion. She looked over at the Ravenclaw table and caught Joanna's eye. Joanna shrugged, saying that she didn't know either. Hermione then looked at the Slytherin table and Draco looked at her as well. It seemed that no one had any idea what the professors were talking about.  
  
After dinner, all the other years left the Great Hall, leaving only the said years still in their respective tables.  
  
"Good, good. Now, I am sure that everyone in here has absolutely no idea what I am talking about..." Headmaster Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. Everyone nodded and affirmed his statement, much to the joy of the Professor. "Now, if everyone is listening... The professors and I have decided that this Christmas break, we would be giving you all a surprise...!" 


	9. Winter Frolics

Authors' Note: Thank you for all of your reviews! This chapter was so fun to write and discuss about, so we hope you all like it! As usual, we were tired of all the clichés (Hogsmeade, Yule Ball...) so we went out and wrote some things out of the ordinary. This was one of the chapters we couldn't wait to write. Sorry that this took so long though... Anyways, here it is!  
  
Chapter 9: Winter Frolics  
  
A hushed response was heard through the crowd.  
  
"A surprise?! What's he talking about?" from a Hufflepuff seventh year girl.  
  
"Another Yule Ball?" A sixth year Ravenclaw boy.  
  
"No tests?!" A seventh year Gryffindor boy. "Hope so," Added his friend and they snickered behind their hands.  
  
Professor McGonagall had to tap her glass with her fork to get everyone's attention back to Dumbledore. The Headmaster nodded kindly to her as the mass of students quieted down. Then, the Headmaster stood up and with a wave of his wand a blank screen appeared behind him. Some of the Muggle-borns thought that it looked like a computer screen that the Muggles used at work.  
  
"Now, this surprise is very much different from some of the surprises you have received before." Dumbledore continued and his eyes twinkled with light mischief. "For this year's sixth and seventh years, we will be starting a new tradition... and this Christmas break, for three days and two nights, all of you," He paused and looked at the four Houses who were listening quite attentively. "Will be going to..." He turned and with a wave of his hand, the screen behind him began to change. At first it was hazy, but then, it became clear and it showed a very familiar place.  
  
"Italy?" Hermione blurted out suddenly, recognizing the famous 'boot' shape of the country as it appeared on the screen. The others were simply too dumbfounded to say anything. They looked to Dumbledore and he smiled.  
  
"Yes, Miss Granger. The sixth and seventh years will be going to Italy for Christmas break."  
  
And the whole mass of students began to scream, squeal, jump up and down, stare dumbly or talk about it amongst them. The latter of course mostly came from Slytherin.  
  
"Children, please quiet down." Professor McGonagall called out and they quieted down, though it took some forceful measures to keep their mouths shut. Usually with an elbow to the ribs.  
  
"I see that you are happy with your surprise..." Dumbledore commented lightly and most nodded their heads vigorously. "You will be leaving for Italy on the day before Christmas, more information will be given on the day itself." Dumbledore said, not wanting to ruin the excitement. Some groaned but then kept quiet, waiting for what he had to say next.  
  
"Now, in one of our faculty meetings, we have decided on what theme your Christmas Party would be. The party of course will be held on the twenty-fifth of December... And the theme for you party would be: Muggle Appreciation Night."  
  
"What?" The whole student body managed to exclaim all at the same time. Then, the Slytherins quickly shook their heads, saying to themselves that this was an outrage and they would not be going, even if the location was in Italy. Josh quickly held up his hand to silence the Slytherin House. Dumbledore nodded his thanks and continued with his speech.  
  
"Before you start with your threats and other violent reactions, I would like to explain some more things." Dumbledore paused and looked around. "Now, I know that the theme might not be very much to your liking, but I hope that you would give it a chance once I explain it to you. Have you any idea of the wizarding place called Bohagley?"  
  
The shaking of the heads of the students was more than enough to tell the Headmaster that they had no clue to what Bohagley was.  
  
"Bohagley is a small wizarding place near here." Dumbledore said. "It is very much like Hogsmeade, except that instead of wizarding materials, places and other things, it gives us wizards and witches the delights of the Muggle world. This means that Muggle clothes, shoes, foods and other things can be found there."  
  
A few choruses of "Oohs" and "Ahs" were heard throughout the hall. Still, most were sporting confused looks on their faces.  
  
"Since you are going to Italy and since the theme for your Christmas party is 'Muggle Appreciation Night', then you higher years are free to go to Bohagley for the next four Saturdays leading up to the break." Dumbledore continued. "Please be advised that you are only to buy light clothes as the weather in your location in Italy is quite warm, considering that it snows here. Now, the start for the trips going to Bohagley will be at ten o'clock tomorrow and you must be advised to come back before 6 o'clock in the evening by carriage. More information would be posted at your respective common rooms."  
  
Dumbledore looked at the students before clapping his hands. "Now, that is all for tonight. You may now retire to your respective dormitories. Good night."  
  
* * *  
  
The next day at breakfast, there was much uproar in the Great Hall. The younger students were talking to the higher years with much envy and excitement. There was also much talk about that Bohagley place and Hermione, Lavender and Parvati thought that it would be worth the trip going there and checking it out.  
  
In the Slytherin table though, there was much apprehension and undecided talks about the coming Christmas break. Draco, though, was saying to the rest of the Slytherin team that he refused to go.  
  
"I'm not going." Draco announced loudly. The Slytherin team looked at him in surprise. But his face was set in a grim expression and it looked like there was no changing his mind.  
  
"Why?" Patrick asked. He was sitting across Draco and he leaned forward in anticipation of Draco's answer.  
  
"Because it's a Muggle affair." Draco replied promptly then went back to his breakfast.  
  
The other Slytherin team members who were planning on going looked to each other. Steven nudged Mark in an attempt to say something that would change Draco's mind about the trip. If the past secret Slytherin parties made any difference, they all knew that Draco was the life of most of them.  
  
Suddenly, their team captain, Kevin, made his way to the table and sat down beside Draco and looked at the rest of his team who were busy looking at each other and daring themselves to say something about the whole situation.  
  
"What?" Kevin asked.  
  
"Malfoy won't be going to Italy. He says it because it's a Muggle affair and he doesn't want anything to do with Muggles." Mark supplied.  
  
"Yeah, I would kill for a chance to go there, even if it is purely Muggle." Zach said wistfully. Along with Adam, they wouldn't be going with the rest of their teammates because they were only in their fifth year.  
  
Kevin raised his eyebrows and looked at Draco in surprise. "Just because we have to go to the Muggle-loving wizarding place and get our things there and because you don't want to be seen in Muggle wear, you've already decided you're not going to Italy?" Kevin asked.  
  
Draco nodded. Kevin looked to the others for help, but they had none to give him. He tried to think of some possible reason to get Draco to come. Kevin's eyes drifted unintentionally to the Ravenclaw table and he saw something, or rather, someone that made this thinking a whole lot easier. He smirked and nodded to the rest of the team, saying that he had a plan. The team waited anxiously. Kevin was the smoothest talker around, since he could get you to do anything.  
  
"Answer me this, Malfoy." Kevin began and Draco looked at him expectantly. "What kind of Muggle clothes did Dumbledore say that we had to buy in Bohagley?"  
  
"Light clothes." Draco answered. "He said it was warm in Italy."  
  
"Exactly." Kevin agreed, nodding. The other members shot each other nervous glances. They didn't know what in the heck Kevin was trying to say. "So that basically means that since it's December, the only possible place there that's kind of warm is an island or a beach, right?"  
  
Draco nodded.  
  
"Now," Kevin continued. "Do you know what girls wear when it's warm? I mean, Muggle clothes, that is."  
  
"No." Draco said, looking at Kevin as if he was crazy.  
  
"Well, I do. And let's just say that it's worth coming down from your high pedestal of being a wizard." Kevin said knowingly.  
  
"Why?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. "What do they wear, anyway?"  
  
Kevin grinned and leant forward to tell all of the guys. "I'm talking about skirts that fall a few inches or more above the knee. I'm talking about their shirts that show off more arms and shoulders, with necklines that give a peek of those things they hide under their school uniforms."  
  
The other guys howled and laughed, clapping their hands over their mouths and looking at Kevin in disbelief. Draco looked like he was reconsidering his rash decision.  
  
Kevin continued. "Look around, Malfoy. I say you've got a fine selection of lovely girls around in here, pureblood or not. If they're lovely in their school uniforms and school robes now, then think of how lovely they would be in Muggle clothes. Reavealing Muggle clothes." He added for effect.  
  
They all looked to Draco who was still thinking. Patrick looked at Kevin and urged him to say something more that would really reel-in Draco.  
  
"I know you're quite the leg man, Draco. And if it's warm in Italy, then you'll be seeing a lot of them." Kevin added.  
  
Draco was silent for a moment, looking around. His eyes involuntarily rested upon Hermione and one look at her changed his mind. Hey, he didn't want to pass this chance of seeing Hermione in something other than her school robes. And besides, who knows what Weasley could do there?  
  
"Okay, I'm going." Draco finally said. The reason was actually more of seeing Hermione in some um... form enhancing clothes.  
  
The guys all howled again, pumping their fists in the air and giving Draco huge grins. Kevin clapped Draco on the back.  
  
"Glad you saw it my way, Malfoy." Kevin said then began to eat.  
  
For the rest of breakfast, the five members of the team decided that they would be going to Bohagley today to check it out.  
  
* * *  
  
At around ten-thirty, Hermione, Lavender and Parvati were walking down the streets of Bohagley. It was actually just a block or two of shops and cafes. They agreed to look around the place first before going into any of the interesting-looking shops.  
  
"Look! Isn't that dress gorgeous?" Lavender said, pointing out a shop with a beautiful dress in the display window. The dress was short and what Hermione liked to call 'flirty' because of the pale blue color and the double spaghetti-straps. It was actually the kind of dress that was just right for a semi-formal occasion.  
  
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind buying a dress like that." Parvati commented. "Dumbledore did say that it was warm in Italy."  
  
"Where in Italy are we going anyway?" Hermione asked as they continued to walk on.  
  
"I don't know. All it said was that the party was going to be held at night, and the attire was semi-formal." Parvati answered.  
  
"Hey, look! Why is there a space between that store and the other one?" Lavender pointed out. The other two looked at where Lavender was pointing and sure enough, there was a space for what looked like to be good enough for another store in between the other two.  
  
"Let's go find out." Hermione said as she went to the store on its right, which incidentally was a wine store. She went in and Lavender and Parvati followed.  
  
The storekeeper of the wine store was a rather plump fellow with grayish hair and he was wearing a white apron around his waist. Lavender had to stifle a giggle when she found out that his shirt buttons were prone to popping off.  
  
"Good morning, ladies. Is there anything I can help you with?" asked the owner cheerfully.  
  
"Er, yes..." Hermione answered. "Um... we were just wondering why there's a space between your store and the other one."  
  
"Ah, you're new to this place, aren't you?" He asked, smiling.  
  
"Yes, sir." Hermione answered.  
  
"Well, why don't we go outside so I can explain it to you better?" He said as he opened the door to them and stepped out. "You see, this space right here is what Muggles like to call a night spot."  
  
"A what?" The girls said in unison.  
  
"A night spot. A club or bar where Muggles usually go and dance or drink or listen to music." He explained.  
  
"Oh." Lavender answered. The other two nodded.  
  
"Now, since it is a night spot, it only appears at nighttime. Around six o'clock to be exact." He continued. "Actually, all the shops here use electricity instead of candles or lamps or charms. We find that it's very convenient."  
  
"That's good." Hermione answered. "Well, sir... thank you anyway for explaining it to us. We have to go and look around some more."  
  
"Yes, thank you sir." The other two said politely.  
  
"You're welcome. Good luck in your shopping and whatnot!" He called as he disappeared behind the door of his store.  
  
The three girls continued to walk on. When they thought they had enough of sightseeing, they decided to have lunch at a quaint little café they passed before. Going there, they settled themselves into a small, round table and ordering sandwiches and pasta. Their light and humorous conversation became quite unnerving for Hermione when Parvati suddenly asked her about Harry and Ron.  
  
"Hermione, why aren't you with Harry and Ron?" Parvati asked, her brow furrowing in clear curiosity. Lavender leaned forward as well.  
  
"Well, um... I've decided to take time away from them and um... have girl-talk with you guys. If that's okay." Hermione replied, smiling uneasily.  
  
"If that's okay with us, you mean?" Lavender clarified. Hermione nodded.  
  
"Of course it's okay, you silly girl!" Parvati exclaimed laughing. Hermione laughed as well and was grateful that they didn't ask why she 'chose to spend time away from Harry and Ron'.  
  
"Hey Hermione!" Someone called. Hermione turned and spied Joanna making a beeline towards their table. Hermione beckoned to Joanna to come and join them.  
  
"Hey Joanna, what's up?" Hermione asked after the other two made their introductions and invited Joanna to sit.  
  
"Well, look who I found..." Joanna said as she called out to her friend and told her to come closer. Her friend turned out to be Pansy Parkinson, a sixth year Slytherin.  
  
"Hey!" Pansy greeted as she neared the other girls. She turned and smiled at the three Gryffindors who in turn, smiled back. With this, Pansy let out a huge sigh of relief.  
  
"Why?" Parvati asked, tilting her head.  
  
"Can I make a confession?" Pansy said quite nervously.  
  
"Go ahead..." Lavender said, though she was confused herself.  
  
"I seriously thought that you guys would throw dirty looks at me and stuff." Pansy said.  
  
"What?" Hermione exclaimed and looked to the other two who were also in shock after what Pansy had said. "Why would we do such a thing?"  
  
"Well, you know, house rivalries and stuff." Pansy answered.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes good-naturedly and shook her head. "I don't know what's really wrong between our two houses, but I for one don't consider any house as a rival anymore. That's all in the past."  
  
"See, I told you I was rubbing off on her! Now, she's as outgoing and as cheery as me!" Joanna cut in. And the five of them laughed.  
  
"Enough talk, sit down you guys and you can eat with us." Lavender said, pointing to the two vacant chairs. Pansy and Joanna soon settled down and looked at the menu. Once they had ordered, Lavender spoke up once again. "Now, tell me, do you guys know any rumors?"  
  
The four laughed and Hermione even groaned. Lavender was still Hogwarts' walking grapevine.  
  
"I know one." Joanna said after the laughter died down. The other four looked expectantly at the Ravenclaw girl. Joanna leaned in and looked around for effect. "I happen to know that certain school prefects, who have been at each other's throats for what seemed like forever, made up and promised to work together. Finally!"  
  
The other three looked at Hermione.  
  
"You and Malfoy made up?" Lavender asked Hermione.  
  
Hermione could feel the blush creep up her cheeks so she simply nodded and told them that it was about time they did so.  
  
"Oh thank the heavens!" Pansy exclaimed. "I thought you guys would never stop insulting each other!"  
  
"Well, you know, to make Joanna and Shawn's life easier..." Hermione commented. "So that they wouldn't have to cover their ears every prefect meeting from all the um... colorful language we use on each other." She finished smiling.  
  
The others laughed. Soon, they had finished their meal and were walking towards the clothing stores.  
  
Almost five hours later, the girls were all toting numerous bags filled with all types of dresses, shirts, pants, shorts, skirts, swimsuits, shoes and accessories. They were all laughing and joking around with each other, recalling the time when Lavender persuaded Hermione to buy an orange- colored, two-piece bikini that Lavender said was 'totally made for her'. Hermione had countered that they didn't know for sure if they were going to a beach in Italy, so it made no sense in buying a bikini! But as Lavender had accurately deduced (she and Parvati managed to pry out of Professor McGonagall a few bits of information about where they were actually going. The professor was kind enough to say that the location was indeed a beach) that Dumbledore wouldn't say that they should only buy light clothes if they weren't going to a wizard island resort in Italy. It was December for goodness sake!  
  
In the end, Hermione finally caved in and agreed.  
  
When they reached Hogwarts, they were hesitant to say goodbye and go to their own dorms and let the fun end. But, they did say that there were still three Saturdays to go and check out the other stores. After the five had hugged and said their goodbyes, Hermione and Joanna made their way towards the Prefects' rooms. Once in, they both dropped their packages on the floor and plopped on the couch, definitely exhausted yet euphoric about the day.  
  
"Ow..." Joanna moaned. "My legs... my feet... my arms...!"  
  
Hermione laughed but moaned as well. "My tummy... we've been laughing all day!" She said, clutching her stomach.  
  
"Well, blame Pansy for that! Who knew she was such a joker!" Joanna said and they both laughed but promptly clutched their stomachs.  
  
"Ow!" They both exclaimed at the same time.  
  
"I think I just about depleted the Galleons my parents sent me with all that shopping! I never knew I could buy so much. I don't even go to malls during summer vacation!" Hermione said.  
  
"What did you buy anyway?" Joanna asked.  
  
"Hmmm... let's see...six different tops, three pairs of pants, two skirts Parvati insisted I buy, two semi-formal dresses, a pair of sneakers, a pair of sandals, and two bikinis. I really hate Lavender for that. I mean, the pink and blue checkered one was not that bad, but orange?!" Hermione exclaimed as Joanna laughed.  
  
"You in a bikini is a one-in-a-lifetime thing, Hermione! We're not going to let you pass on that! And besides, the color is amazing on you!" Joanna said lightly.  
  
"I still think I should leave it here and never wear it." Hermione said then covered her ears when Joanna screamed a 'no' at her. "Joanna! Do you have to hurt my eardrums too?" She glared at her friend.  
  
"Oops, sorry." Joanna said sheepishly. "But I still think you should bring it and wear it. If not, then you better be able to handle the four of us with or without our wands!"  
  
"Okay, okay..." Hermione finally conceded. In truth, she was more scared that she would attract more of the attention Ron gave her before because of wearing a bikini... but then that thought was quickly squashed when she thought of what Draco said. Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned back to Joanna and asked. "What did you buy anyway?"  
  
"Five tops, three skirts, two pairs of shorts, a pair of pants, the semi-formal dress, two pairs of sneakers, a pair of sandals and three swimsuits." Joanna counted off. "And we're going back there next weekend!"  
  
"I know..." Hermione groaned into the couch pillow. "But no more shopping for clothes. I prefer going into that Muggle book shop you guys wouldn't let me go to!"  
  
"And let you waste the afternoon with those books? I don't think so!" Joanna replied and they both chuckled.  
  
Just then, Shawn came in, followed by Draco a couple of minutes later. Joanna and Hermione looked up from their positions on the couches and fell back down in exhaustion. Shawn laughed before going to his room and depositing his own shopping bags. Draco did the same before coming back to the common room and joining them.  
  
"Shawn?" Joanna called meekly, as if she were in great pain. She really was a great actress...  
  
"Yes?" Shawn answered. He was sitting on a plush chair opposite the couch Joanna was sprawled on. He was having a hard time keeping a straight face.  
  
"Could you be a dear and get me to bed?" Joanna asked, fluttering her lashes for effect.  
  
"Aren't you going to eat dinner first?" Shawn asked.  
  
"Food can wait. Must... have... sleep..." Joanna exaggerated as the two boys laughed. "Please?" Joanna pleaded.  
  
"Okay." Shawn said, going over to the couch and helping Joanna get up and they slowly made their way to the girls' rooms. Meanwhile, Draco was trying his best not to laugh out loud at the scene. Hermione lifted her head from her couch and looked at Draco.  
  
"Aren't you going to be a gentleman and do the same for me?" Hermione asked, only half-joking. She regarded him as he was merely sitting in his usual slouching position on an overstuffed chair.  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow. Then, very calmly, he got out his wand as Hermione continued to look at him in confusion. He raised it then began, in a very slow and quite loud voice, "Wingardium..."  
  
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Hermione exclaimed, struggling to get up. She wasn't about to be levitated like that damn feather during their first year! But after a few tries, she collapsed back into her original position of laying prone on the couch, much to Draco's amusement.  
  
He was laughing now and it irritated her.  
  
"Ugh! You are such a... a..." Hermione struggled to find the best word.  
  
"Handsome and charming guy?" Draco offered, smirking slightly.  
  
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "No! You're-"  
  
"Infinitely irresistible?" Draco suggested.  
  
If it weren't for Hermione's current state, she would have screamed his head off with all the insults she could muster. But she merely groaned, too tired to bicker even good-naturedly with him. Finally, Draco got himself off the chair and walked towards her.  
  
"Fine, fine..." Draco said as Hermione looked up at him. "I'll help you to your room." She smiled at him and he reached down and held her arm and pulled. Hermione expected to be literally hauled to her feet but she wasn't. Instead, Draco had stumbled backward with pure shock on his face. It took a moment, but then Hermione realized he was fooling again.  
  
"I can't!" Draco said while Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're too heavy!"  
  
"Draco, I am not heavy!" Hermione retorted. "Now stop joking around and help me up!"  
  
"I'm serious!" Draco insisted, trying his best to hide his smile but he wasn't succeeding. "What did you eat? Does Muggle food really have this effect on you?!"  
  
"Draco!" Hermione chided, glaring at him. "Help me up!"  
  
Draco simply laughed... and his laugh was nothing but contagious because Hermione found herself laughing then groaning because of the pain in her middle. She clutched at it, still groaning.  
  
"Don't make me laugh, Draco... my tummy still hurts from all the laughing today." Hermione said.  
  
"Okay, okay..." Draco conceded, getting her up from the couch and getting her on her feet. He bent his head and let one of her arms steal around his neck as she leaned on him. Together, the slowly made their way to Hermione's room. Contrary to what Draco had said earlier, Hermione was not at all heavy, in fact, Draco could carry her to her room if she asked him to.  
  
And that didn't sound like a bad idea to him.  
  
But, they had gotten there with Hermione walking with his support. Draco opened the door and had very little time to take in the layout of her room. It was just like his, except that the bed was decorated with scarlet sheets and the pillows were golden-colored, instead of his green and silver.  
  
Hermione stood still for a moment as Draco turned down the covers and helped her get in. She was half-asleep and so Draco decided to let her be as he pulled the blankets over her sleeping form. Very quietly, he walked towards the door and closed it behind him.  
  
"Hey Draco, want to go and grab dinner?" Shawn asked. After putting Joanna to bed, he had gone to the common room and waited for Draco to come back from helping Hermione to her room.  
  
"Hell yeah." Draco said, grinning.  
  
* * *  
  
The next school week was even better for Hermione. She and Draco managed to come up with an extremely good presentation in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione managed to find out how Headmaster Dumbledore did that whole projection screen and she used it to present their findings on the Rape Curse.  
  
Draco was secretly beaming with pride when Hermione discussed half of the presentation flawlessly and didn't even flinch when she talked about the Rape Curse. He was glad that she finally got her confidence back.  
  
They both got high marks for that and were praised for their work by Professor Lupin.  
  
Even with the Gryffindors, Hermione seemed to get along well. Harry had finally come around, after breaking up with his girlfriend, of course and he started to build up that friendship that he had taken for granted with Hermione and Ron. Hermione was glad to be friends with Harry again, but told him that maybe she wasn't cut out for the whole 'Gryffindor Trio' again. And who would, given her situation with Ron? Harry, for the most part, seemed to understand and told her that if she needed anyone to talk to or just hang out, that he and Ron would be there.  
  
Ron, on the other hand, never paid Hermione any mind. This suited her just fine. Harry and Ron seemed to form a group with Seamus, Dean and Neville and they were all pretty happy, talking about nothing except Quidditch and just recently, girls.  
  
Hermione was thankful that she was on good terms with Harry... but knew that she could never be a part of that friendship again. And besides, there were other friends to think about.  
  
Lavender, Parvati, Joanna and Pansy were a few of them. Even the teachers were praising them for having friendships that went out of the norm and out their respective Houses. The five were almost inseparable and they went everywhere together. Soon, other Houses began to remove the 'walls' that separated them. Even the Slytherins were getting in the act.  
  
Draco was another reason for Hermione's turn for the better. After all, he was her friend and they worked together with ease. He was the real reason why Hermione gained a whole lot of self-esteem.  
  
Who could ask for more?  
  
"So, what are our plans for this weekend?" Parvati asked the other four girls. It was already the first week of December and they were all sitting in the Prefects' common room that Friday afternoon after classes. Usually, they would go out and talk outside in the lawns, but the snow now prevented them from doing so, Instead, Hermione and Joanna asked the permissions of the other two prefects, the two heads, and the professors if Parvati, Lavender and Pansy could spend the night at the prefects' rooms. Sort of like a slumber party.  
  
The others agreed, as long as they didn't stay up too late and they didn't disturb the other two prefects. Both Hermione and Joanna rolled their eyes. It was more like Shawn and Draco disturbing their little girl talk. But nevertheless, they were happy to be given a chance. Even if the professors said that it was a one-time only thing.  
  
"Um... I don't know. We already checked out the rest of the clothing stores in Bohagley..." Lavender replied.  
  
"And bought more things!" Pansy reminded. The rest laughed.  
  
"So where do you think we should go next?" Joanna asked.  
  
"I wish we could go to that night spot..." Parvati mused.  
  
"Yeah! But we can't!" Pansy said, smiling wistfully.  
  
Just then, Draco came in and his eyes widened at the sight of the five girls all sprawled out in the common room. The five giggled at his reaction.  
  
"I'm sorry." Draco said, shaking his head mockingly.  
  
"Huh? Why?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I know I'm good-looking. I'm the best-looking guy in school... but seriously, you can't expect me to um... be there for the five of you?" Draco teased. Then he started to laugh as the girls all sported looks of disgust and fury. Suddenly, they all got the throw pillows and did exactly what they were supposed to do: throw them at Draco who quickly shielded himself and surrendered after about twenty pillows hit him.  
  
"That's what you get for having such a perverted mind!" Lavender said triumphantly as the rest started laughing.  
  
"I will have my revenge!" Draco promised mockingly as he went off to his room as quick as he could to dodge more pillows as they continued to throw them at him. The five girls collapsed in laughter. When the laughter subsided, they began to pick up after the mess and plopped once again on the rug and continued their conversation.  
  
In the end, they all decided to check out the other stores in Bohagley. The ones they didn't go to... Hermione was overjoyed when she said that it was about time she got to check out the Muggle bookstore. The rest didn't waste any time and quickly had a pillow fight to end the deal.  
  
The next day, the five went to Bohagley once again and this time, they checked out the quaint shops selling knickknacks and other stuff. After much pleading, Hermione finally coerced the other girls to come and check out the Muggle bookstore.  
  
It turned out to be a great thing, going to the bookstore. Not only did they manage to buy those interesting romance novels and some Muggle magazines, they almost spent two hours there. They went through all the bookshelves, reading on what Muggles liked to do and what they wrote about. Hermione managed to buy a book of poems and short stories she'd fallen in love with along with three best-selling novels.  
  
After that, they all went out and checked out more shops. Then going to the café and ordering coffee to warm them up after their little walk in the snow.  
  
Hermione looked out of the window and tuned out the other girls' conversation for a moment. The snow had picked up and it was snowing steadily. She smiled... maybe in sheer happiness, maybe in anticipation or maybe in content. All Hermione knew was, this was one of the best things that ever happened to her.  
  
And maybe, just maybe, the best was yet to come. 


End file.
